Twist of Fate
by Takuku
Summary: A One Piece AU where Luffy and his brothers set out after the fire in the Gray Terminal, and they come across Marco and Thatch of Whitebeard's crew. Things go differently from the original. I plan on going through Luffy's childhood all the way until he reaches Raftel. So yeah, this is going to be a long story.
1. Adventure Start

**So, yeah. I started another story right after I made another one. But this plot bunny interfered with my other one, and I had to get this out of the way. Well, the first few chapters anyway. This will be a very long story. I have my work cut out for me. Well, I hope you enjoy!**

 **I don't own One Piece.**

"Aaaaaaaacccceeee! Saaaaaaaboooo! I'm hungry!"

"Shut up or you'll scare the fish away!"

"I told you two that we didn't pack enough food when we left." Sabo sighed deeply.

The trio of brothers had been sailing in a dingy for about a week now. They originally were going to wait until they were seventeen to leave, but Sabo's father had found him and taken him away from his brothers with the threat of killing them if he didn't comply.

Meanwhile the nobles in Goa Kingdom had hired Bluejam and his crew to set fire to the Gray Terminal in preparation for the Celestial Dragon arriving the next day. Sabo was horrified that the nobles would sink so low. They were worse than Bluejam in his opinion. Sabo quickly escaped his prison that he once called home and made a mad dash for the Gray Terminal.

He managed to get there before the gates were closed for the night, and set out to find his brothers and warn them. When he found them they were tied up inside Bluejam's old ship. Ace and Luffy were happily relieved to see him again. Luffy hugged him tightly when Sabo untied them, and refused to let go for several minutes, all the while crying his eyes out.

With both brothers safe at his side, Sabo led them to the edge of the forest. They had just made it to the tree line when the first explosion happened. They were frozen in horror as the flames quickly consumed the large trash heap. The screams of those being burned alive started to dwindle by the time Ace snapped out of it and dragged Sabo and Luffy further into the forest.

They quickly decided that it was no longer safe to live in Goa anymore and stole a dingy to set sail on. They packed as much food they could while being rushed to leave. The longer they stayed the more likely they would be caught. They didn't want to risk that so they set off at noon the next day on the opposite side of the island the Celestial Dragon would be arriving at. The food was all gone before the sun set. They had fed themselves by using their pipes as fishing rods. But even that wasn't really enough.

"Did you want to be caught again? We had to leave as soon as possible!" Ace yelled.

"I know, but did you think that sailing off with little to no food was really a good idea?" Sabo scolded.

"We're managing! And we should be arriving at an island soon, right? We'll just stock up when we get there."

"Island! Where?!" Luffy jumped around the small boat looking for an island that was nowhere to be seen.

"Stop it, Luffy! You're rocking the boat!" Ace hit Luffy over the head to get him to stop. It didn't really hurt him since he was made of rubber.

"Shishishishishishi! Sorry!" Luffy said with his bright smile.

"We won't get to the island for another day, Ace. And the fish we've caught hasn't really filled us up at all. If we weren't arriving at an island soon we would more than likely starve." Sabo tried to get the seriousness of the situation through Ace's thick skull.

"But we aren't going to starve, and we are arriving at an island. It all worked out. Right, Luffy?" Ace turned to the youngest of the group.

"Right!" Luffy cheered.

"Ugh! You two are hopeless." Sabo face palmed before turning back to his fishing.

"Shishishishi! Hey, what do you think our first island adventure is going to be like?" Luffy asked grabbing his make-shift fishing pole.

"Do you think the animals there will be as big as the ones back on Dawn Island?" Ace's eyes sparked with excitement.

"I doubt it. We're heading to Conomi Island. I heard it's pretty peaceful there." Sabo said.

"Awwwwww!" both Ace and Luffy deflated at the idea of their first island being a boring one.

"There's a village there that has the best tangerine orchard in all of the East Blue." Sabo said hoping that the prospect of food would raise their spirits.

"What are ta… tanji… tan…"

"Tangerines?" Sabo asked

"Yeah! What are those?" Luffy asked.

"They're small oranges, and the ones in Cocoyasi Village are the best." Sabo said with a smile.

"Ooooh! I wanna try the tiny oranges! When are we getting there?!" Luffy had stars in his eyes.

"Tomorrow, now get back to fishing or we won't have anything to eat today!" Ace scolded Luffy.

"Okay!" Luffy went back to fishing and everything lapsed into a comfortable silence.

XxXxXxXxX

"I can handle this by myself. I didn't need you to come with me." Thatch sighed and sat at the table on the small ship they were using.

Not long ago they got word from Jinbei that Arlong was recently freed, and was heading toward the East Blue. Whitebeard would normally just let it slide without further thought, but Jinbei requested that one of the division commanders followed him to make sure he didn't cause trouble. When asked why he didn't go, he simply said that he was needed at Marine Headquarters for some odd reason. Whitebeard accepted and sent Thatch with orders to track Arlong, and to stop him if he caused trouble. Thatch was just fine on his own, but the entire crew decided that Marco should tag along.

"The last time you went by yourself to one of the blues you took a personal vacation and weren't seen for three months!" Marco chided.

"Just because I milked my small vacation a little-"

"Small?! Little?! You call three months small?! The whole crew was worried sick about you!"

"Okay, I'll admit that time got away from me, but you would enjoy being away from all that paperwork for three months too."

"But you had a large pile of it when you came back."

"Yeah, but I wasn't going to take a vacation this time. Pops was really angry when I did it last time."

"As he should be. You can't just go on vacations whenever you wish!"

"I know that now! And, like I said, I wasn't going to do that this time!" Thatch smacked the table with his hands for emphasis.

Marco gave him a dry look, as if to say, "Yeah, right."

"I wasn't!" Thatch insisted.

Marco sighed and said, "Fine."

Thatch relaxed some. He knew he wasn't completely off the hook, but the subject was dropped for now. And that was good enough for him. He really wasn't going to go on vacation this time. Everyone was pissed off when he returned after last time. He didn't want that to happen ever again.

"Where is Arlong headed to anyways?" Marco asked changing the subject.

"He seems to be heading to Conomi Island."

"Why would he go to such a peaceful island like that? In the East Blue no less." Marco rubbed his chin in thought.

"I hope he won't cause trouble, but Jinbei said he has a huge hatred towards humans."

"You're saying he's going to terrorize and possibly kill the people there." Marco said what Thatch didn't want to say. Thatch only nodded in response.

"If that's the case, then it's a good thing we're here. We can stop him before he kills anyone." Marco said as he stood up and walked out the door. Thatch followed.

"How much longer until we get there?" Marco asked as Thatch joined him on the small deck.

"We'll arrive sometime tomorrow." Thatch stared out in the direction of Arlong's ship.

They stayed far enough away to keep the fishman from identifying them easily. But they were close enough to follow. They weren't worried about him finding them out. They could handle Arlong and his group of fishmen pirates easily enough. They were sure he knew they were following him, but he was probably so overconfident that he didn't bother with them.

"I just hope we won't be too late." Marco said and leaned against the railing facing the setting sun.


	2. Defeating Arlong

**Two chapters in one day? Yes! This plot bunny is vicious! It haunts my sleep until I write more! I think I need help. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the two for one treat!**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

"Land! I see that Island! Ace! Sabo! Wake up! There's an island!" Luffy yelled at his two sleeping brothers.

They hardly caught any fish yesterday so they spent most of the night fishing in hopes that they would catch more. They didn't and were asleep most of the day because of it. Luffy only woke up because he thought he smelled cooking off in the distance, and he was right. The island wasn't but eight meters away now. Luffy was practically vibrating in excitement.

"Wha? Island?" Ace asked sleepily. He looked at the island Luffy was pointing to before a large grin stretched across his face.

"Hey, Sabo! We're here at last!" Ace shook the blond violently.

"I'm awake! Stop shaking me!" Sabo pushed Ace away and Luffy laughed at their antics.

"I'm so excited! I can smell meat cooking on that island!" Luffy jumped excitedly on the small boat.

"You can smell that far? You must be really hungry if your sense of smell is that strong." Sabo commented.

"We had nothing but fish all week. I'm sure he's ready for something else." Ace agreed.

"And whose fault is that?"

"Are you still going on about that?"

Luffy tuned out Ace and Sabo's fighting and focused solely on the island ahead of them. He could smell that meat like it was in front of him. His stomach growled at the scent. He didn't get much to eat this past week, but he knew it'd be okay. As long as Ace and Sabo were with him, he knew everything was going to be fine.

Growing impatient, and with the smell of meat taunting him, he grabbed the edges of the boat and pulled himself back.

"Gum gum…" Luffy said as he pulled himself to the back of the boat and aimed in the direction of the island.

"Luffy! What are you doing?!" Ace asked in a panicked tone.

"You're aren't going to-"

"Rocket!" Luffy interrupted Sabo and launched himself to the island. He flew through the air and landed on the small beach that lead into a town. The meat smell wasn't coming from the town, though. The meat was coming from the smoke in the distance.

"MEAT!" Luffy exclaimed and ran towards the smoke. He was so focused the meat that he practically pushed down two guys that were in his way.

"Whoa! What's the rush, kid?" The one with the head shaped like a pineapple asked grabbing a hold of his arm.

Luffy ignored him and kept running. His arm stretched pretty far before he was pulled back. He crashed into the pineapple guy and almost knocked him over.

"Let go of me, Pineapple Head! I smell meat and I'm not letting you have any!" Luffy demanded.

The guy with the poofy hair laughed, and Pineapple Head looked annoyed.

"Listen, kid, there are some bad people over-" Luffy bit down on Pineapple Head's hand before he had a chance to finish. The other guy laughed harder and Pineapple Head let go of Luffy.

Luffy took his chance to get away and ran off to the meat, ignoring the shouts of Pineapple Head. He ran down a path and came up to a crowd surrounding the house that had the meat smell. Luffy came to the only conclusion possible.

"They're trying to steal the meat! Hey! You can't have any!" Luffy started pushing through the large crowd of people.

He ignored the protests of the people he pushed away and quickly made his way to the front. He slipped around some weird fish looking guys and saw a long-nose fish looking guy pointing a gun at a pink haired lady. Two girls were off to the side, crying.

"Hey, Long Nose! Where's the meat?!" Luffy demanded out of breath from his run to the house.

There was a silence over the previously noisy crowd. Luffy didn't know why everyone was quiet now, or why they all had wide eyes and open mouths.

"Hey, Long Nose! I asked you a question!" Luffy shouted again. This time Long Nose looked angry and pointed the gun at him.

"You inferior, worthless, waste of space, human, scum! How dare you talk to a fishman that way!" he yelled.

"What way? I just asked where the meat is!" Luffy didn't even care that a gun was aimed at him. He hadn't eaten much over the past few days, and he wasn't going to let Long Nose keep him from his meat.

"You dare to insult me by calling me names?! Do you not know just how inferior you are to me?! You don't stand a chance against a fishman!" Long Nose yelled.

"Eh? What's a fishman?" Luffy tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"What's a fishman?! You mean you don't know?" Long Nose asked.

"No."

"Well, let me enlighten you. A fishman is someone like me. Someone who is superior to any and every lowly human on this planet. And it's the thing that's going to make me King of the Pirates!" Long Nose boasted.

"No you're not, Long Nose! I'm going to be King of the Pirates!" Luffy yelled and the silence returned.

Long Nose narrowed his eyes and steadied the gun aimed at Luffy. He somehow looked angrier than he did before.

"Shut up and die, you worthless human! And my name is Arlong!" he yelled.

"Huh? Armung? That's a dumb name!"

"It's not Armung, you idiot! Arlong!"

"Armbong?"

"Arlong!"

"Arlumm?"

"ARLONG!"

"Oh, I get it!"

"Finally!"

"It's a mystery name." Luffy said as serious as he could.

"DIE!" Long Nose yelled and pulled the trigger.

"LUFFY!" Luffy heard his brothers yell and felt a sharp pain where the bullet hit. The bullet made part the part of his body that it hit stretch back. It stayed stretched back for a few seconds before it flung out of his chest and zoomed past Long Nose's head. Everyone, including his recently arrived brothers and the two guys he ran into earlier, had the same weird look as before. Luffy ignored them and rubbed his chest where the bullet hit.

"Ow! That hurt you jerk!" Luffy yelled.

"Luffy!" Ace and Sabo called as they ran over to Luffy, and smacked him on the head.

"What was that for?" Luffy asked.

"That's for rocketing over to the island and running off!" Ace yelled.

"You would be dead right now if you weren't made of rubber!" Sabo yelled too.

"But I smelled meat, and I'm hungry!" Luffy pouted and his stomach growled in agreement.

"What's worse, being hungry or being dead?!" Ace shouted.

Luffy thought the question over. It was a hard decision. He didn't like being hungry, but being dead meant he couldn't be King of the Pirates. But being hungry really sucked. Being dead sucked too. Luffy felt his face getting hot and his head staring to hurt from trying to make the decision.

"Are you okay, Luffy?" Sabo asked in concern.

"Yeah, your face is all red." Ace pointed out.

"I can't choose! They both suck!" Luffy whined.

"IS IT REALLY THAT HARD FOR YOU TO CHOOSE?!" They both yelled.

"So, you're a devil fruit user. But what's one doing in the East Blue?" Long Nose asked.

"Who are you?!" Ace demanded and got between Luffy and Long Nose.

"Oh, that's Long Nose! But that's not his name! His real name is a mystery name!" Luffy said.

"MY NAME IS ARLONG, YOU MAGGOT!"

The two guys from earlier started laughing. The crowd around them backed away and started muttering to each other about something. Even Long Nose looked shocked at the guys.

"What the… Why are Whitebeard's division commanders here?" the pink-haired lady asked.

"Whitebeard?!" Sabo asked in shock.

"Who's Whitebeard?" Ace asked.

"Whitebeard is the strongest man in the world. He's the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates. His crew members are really strong, especially the division commanders. If those two are really division commanders then they are a force to be reckoned with." Sabo explained.

"Really? The strongest man in the world? Do you think he'll join my crew?!" Luffy asked excitedly.

"HELL NO!" Ace and Sabo yelled.

The commander guys laughed even harder after Luffy's question. The one with the poofy hair calmed down enough to speak.

"I like that kid. He has spunk!" He said in between chuckles.

"Agreed." Pineapple Head wiped some tears from his eyes before straightening up and looked at Long Nose.

"Enough of that. It's time to get down to business. Arlong, we were sent by Jinbei to make sure you didn't do anything to terrorize the innocent. Looking around, however, we can tell that your intentions are anything but peaceful. Our orders were to stop you if you proved to be a problem." Pineapple Head said.

"And guess what. You're a problem. So now, we have to step in." Poofy Hair said and pulled out his sword.

Long Nose got over his shock and smirked evilly at the two division commanders.

"It doesn't matter how strong you are, because in the end, you're still a couple of humans. Your power can never amount to the might of a fishman! You are no match for me!" Long Nose pointed his gun at Pineapple Head and shot him.

Luffy expected him to fall down dead, and was surprised when he didn't fall. Blue flames appeared where the bullet hit him. The wound was gone within seconds.

"So cool!" Luffy yelled out.

"Immune to bullets, huh? Fine by me. Chew, bring me my shark saw!" Long Nose shouted to Big Lips.

"You'll soon see the true superiority of fishmen! I will send you back to Whitebeard in pieces!" Long Nose grabbed his shark saw. It was a large sword with a bunch of teeth like parts sticking out on one side.

"Now Die!" Long Nose yelled as he jumped forward and swung his sword at the two.

Pineapple Head didn't budge an inch, but Poofy Hair intercepted it with his sword and was holding it back. Long Nose seemed surprised that a human could stop one of his attacks.

"Impressive, for a human that is." Long Nose said as he and Poofy Hair started to fight.

It wasn't really much of a fight. It was more of a one-sided beat down. Long Nose was losing badly and each blow only seemed to make him angrier. Finally, there was a creaking sound. Everyone paused and saw the shark saw break in half. That seemed to be the last straw for Long Nose. His eyes went red and he charged forward with all of his strength.

"YOU INSIGNIFICANT, LOWLIFE, HUMAN! YOU DARE THINK YOU'RE A MATCH FOR A FISHMAN?!" He roared.

"Doesn't he realize that it's the other way around?" Ace asked.

"I think he's lost all since of reality." Sabo said.

Before Long Nose could hit Poofy Hair, he was send flying high into the sky. Everyone looked at Pineapple Head as he lowered his leg.

"Sorry to intervene in your fight, Thatch, but he was pissing me off with his superiority complex. If you don't mind, I'll end this."

"Be my guest. His 'holier than thou' attitude was pissing me off too." The one called Thatch sheathed his sword.

Luffy watched in amazement as Pineapple Head's arms turned into fire wings, and took off to the sky. He made it above Long Nose in no time. With a great burst of strength, Pineapple Head kicked Long Nose all the way down to the ground. Long Nose made a huge crater when he crashed and dust was sent flying everywhere. Everyone stepped closer to the crater and waited for the dust to settle. When it was finally clear enough to see everyone except the fishmen let out a huge cheer. Long Nose was out cold. He definitely wasn't getting up any time soon.

"They did it, Bellemere! They saved us!" Luffy turned to see the two crying girls clinging to the pink-haired lady. She also had tears in her eyes, and hugged the two girls with everything she had.

Pineapple Head landed next to Thatch, and turned to the other fishmen, who now looked like they were about to wet themselves.

"If any of you still wish to fight, we will gladly take you on." Thatch said.

"W-what will happen to Arlong, and us?" one of them boldly asked.

"We were ordered to take out Arlong if he turned out to be a problem, so we're going to personally see to it that he gets turned in to the marines. We have no orders for his crew. So if you leave with the strict promise of leaving these people alone, we will let you flee." Pineapple Head said.

The fishmen looked at each other for a second, and then they ran as fast as they could to their ship. Luffy was staring at them in amazement. They fought the fishman without breaking a sweat. Luffy momentarily forgot his hunger and walked up to them.

"Where are you going, Luffy?" Sabo asked but Luffy didn't answer. Instead he walked up to the two commanders.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Luffy cheered with stars in his eyes.

"Well, we are Whitebeard Commanders. Being awesome is in the job description." Thatch said proudly.

"Hey, you wanna join my crew?" Luffy asked with a big smile.

"Luffy! You can't just asked people in other pirate crews to join your crew!" Ace said.

"Why not? Pineapple Head can fly, and Thatch can use a sword! I need a flying pineapple and a swordsman in my crew!" Luffy pouted.

Thatch started laughing again and Pineapple Head looked annoyed.

"Flying pineapple! I love it!" Thatch howled in laughter.

"How is it you know Thatch's name, but not mine?" Pineapple Head asked.

"Luffy, stop talking to them. We need to talk to the townspeople about stocking up provisions." Sabo said trying to lead Luffy away.

"Provisions? What provisions?" Thatch asked done laughing.

"Provisions for our journey! We're pirates too!" Luffy answered.

"Don't tell them that!" Ace bonked Luffy on the head.

"Pirates? Aren't you too young to be pirates?" Pineapple Head asked.

"Well, we were going to set sail when we were seventeen, but- MMPH!" Luffy's mouth was suddenly blocked by two pairs of hands.

"Shut up already! You don't need to tell them that!" Ace yelled.

"Hey, Luffy, aren't you hungry? Let's see if we can find some meat." Sabo said.

All thoughts of the two grown pirates on the island vanished from the moment Sabo said 'hungry'. Luffy's stomach growled in protest of being forgotten about. Luffy pushed the hands out of his face.

"MEAT!" He yelled.

Pineapple Head chuckled and said, "He has a one track mind, doesn't he."

"If you're hungry, I just finished cooking." The pink-haired lady said. At some point she finished her hug with the two girls, who were now on either side of her. She was now standing not too far away.

She looked at Luffy and said, "It's the least I could do. If you didn't distract Arlong when you did, I would have died for sure."

"You have meat?!" Luffy asked.

"Yup! Roasted duck with tangerine sauce! Does that sound good?" she said with a small laugh.

"Yes! Meat!" Luffy cheered and started running toward the house when his brothers grabbed him by the shirt.

"We appreciate it, miss, but Luffy eats more than ten grown men. I don't want to deplete you of all your food." Sabo said politely.

"Would it help if all of us brought food of our own?" one of the villagers asked.

"Yeah! Let's turn this into a celebration, and thank the Whitebeard Pirates for helping our village!" another villager shouted.

"FOOD!" Luffy was ready to gnaw his arms off he was so hungry.

"A celebration sounds nice, but first things first. Genzo and Bellemere need to have their wounds tended to, and we need to call the Marines to get this criminal behind bars." Said an old man wearing sun glasses.

"Yes sir, Doctor Nako." Said a villager.

"We'll eat after their wounds are tended to." Doctor Nako said as he kneeled next to a wounded man on the ground.

"But I'm hungryyyyyyy!" Luffy whined.

"Shut up! You went several days with little to no food, you can survive a few more hours!" Ace said.

"Wait, what?" Thatch asked.

"Why would you go so long without food?" Pineapple head questioned.

"Because we didn't pack enough food when we left home." Luffy said and was instantly met with his brothers' hands in his face again.

"Dammit, Luffy! Stop telling them everything!" Ace yelled.

"So you're not from this island?" Pineapple Head asked.

"Mind your own business!" Ace yelled at them.

"You know, if you went so long without food I can cook you something. I am a Whitebeard Chef after all." Thatch said. Luffy pushed his brothers aside and ran up to Thatch.

"Meat!" Luffy exclaimed for the hundredth time.

Thatch laughed and said, "Yeah, I can make meat."

"Luffy! We are not going to eat with these guys!" Ace said.

"If you're so hungry, we can just hunt somewhere!" Sabo agree.

"Right!" Luffy yelled and ran back to his brothers.

"What are you guys in the mood for?" Sabo asked.

"Do you think they have alligator on this island?" Ace asked.

"Yeah! Gator!" Luffy cheered. He was hungry enough to eat anything.

"Let's look in the forest and see what kind of animals they have." Sabo said.

"But we left our pipes in the boat. We need to stop there first and grab them." Ace said as he started to head towards the harbor.

Luffy couldn't wait to eat his full again. The week on the boat, while fun, was torture without food. He wished that they listened to Sabo when he said that they needed to stock up on more food before leaving. But Ace said that if they didn't leave then Sabo would be taken away again. Luffy didn't want his brother taken away. He would do anything to keep him safe, even if it meant going hungry for a week.


	3. Ace's Dilemma

**Wow! I honestly didn't expect this story to get so much attention! I honestly don't know what to say other than thank you! Thank you for giving my dumb little story a chance, and liking it! I made sure that this was a long chapter to show my thanks properly! Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

Marco watched the three boys walk away. He didn't really know what to make of them. From what he could tell the older two had trust issues, and the younger one trusted others too easily. Not only that, but one of them had eaten a devil fruit. They were something else to say the least.

"Did they just talk about hunting an alligator like it was a normal occurrence?" Thatch asked.

"I believe so." Marco said not taking his eyes off the kids.

"What is up with those boys? From the sound of it, they aren't from this island." Thatch rubbed his chin in thought.

"No they aren't. I think they were planning on leaving their home island later on in life, but something happened that made them set sail prematurely."

"What makes you say that?"

"The one in the straw hat said something about leaving at the age of seventeen, but something obviously went wrong and they had to leave early."

"Now that you mention it, I remember him saying something like that too. The other kids stopped him before he could finish what he was saying, though. I wonder what he was going to say."

"That doesn't matter, right now. What does matter is that three children are sailing the seas. And, from the looks of it, there are no adults watching over them. I don't care how tough they are, they are still children, and there are many people on the seas that will take advantage of that." Marco turned to his friend after the kids disappeared in the distance.

"Yeah, you're right. There are evil people who will take advantage of kids, even in the East Blue. We can't let them go on their own." Thatch started to walk in the direction the kids disappeared in.

"Wait." Marco grabbed Thatch's shoulder before he could get too far.

"What? We need to stop them before they leave."

"They aren't leaving yet, and you saw how the older two reacted to us. They appear to have a hard time trusting others. You can't just waltz up to them and expect them to listen to whatever you have to say."

"Well, do you have any other ideas?"

Marco glanced over to where the kids were heading. Whatever their situation was at their home island, it wasn't an ideal one for kids their age. They seemed to be used to taking care of themselves, especially if they hunt their own food. Marco didn't know if they provided for themselves because they didn't trust others, or if the time they spent providing for themselves caused them to trust no one else. Either way, getting the older two to listen would be a challenge, but Marco knew something about this island they didn't.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

XxXxXxXxX

"You really need to learn when to keep your mouth shut, Luffy. Those guys don't need to know our life's story." Ace said after they got out of hearing distance from the other pirates.

"Eh? I wasn't telling them our life's story." Luffy said while folding his hands behind his head.

"Yes, you were. They're pirates, Lu. They can't be trusted." Sabo pointed out.

"But we're pirates, and I trust you guys." Luffy said.

"Yeah, but we're your brothers, you moron. They are complete strangers. For all we know they could be planning on slaughtering us like Bluejam tried to do." Ace said.

"I don't think they are. They seem like nice people." Luffy said with a large grin.

"Are you stupid or something?!" Ace yelled.

"I don't know, Ace. Luffy was always good at judging people. He could very well be right about them."

"Not you too, Sabo! It's bad enough that Luffy wants to trust them!"

"I'm not saying we trust them. It's just that we quite possibly don't have to worry about them attacking us. You know, the whole 'you leave them alone, they leave you alone' thing."

"Hmmm… That makes sense, but I'm not letting my guard down."

"You don't have to let your guard down. I'm just saying that we may not run into those guys again."

"If you believe that, then you're just as stupid as Luffy."

"Where does all this stubbornness come from?" Sabo asked with a deep sigh.

"Sabo isn't stupid. He's smart, because he knows a lot about stuff." Luffy said with that ever present grin.

"Whatever, let's just get our pipes and look for the nearest forest." Ace huffed.

The trio walked down the path and through the previously deserted town. People were moving about doing who knows what. The doctor guy was following two people carrying a wounded man on a stretcher. A pink haired lady was behind him complaining about unnecessary check-ups, and two girls were following her.

The orange haired girl looked over to them, and smiled. She nudged the purple haired one and pointed to them. Both girls looked at them, and waved. Luffy smiled and waved back. Sabo waved to be polite, and Ace just stared at them. The purple haired one frowned when Ace didn't wave, and Ace frowned back. So what if he didn't wave? She didn't need to get all snippy about it.

Purple told Orange something, and both of them told Pink something while pointing at them. Pink looked over at them with a smile, and nodded to whatever the girls had said. The two girls jumped and cheered something.

"What's wrong with them?" Ace asked.

"I'm not sure, but it looks like they're heading this way." Sabo said.

Ace looked, and sure enough, the two girls were running toward them. Both of them had smiles on their faces.

"Hi." Said Orange.

"Hi." Luffy said back with a smile.

"Hello, I'm Nojiko, and this is my sister, Nami." The purple haired girl said.

"I'm Luffy! These are my brothers Ace and Sabo." Luffy said while picking his nose. Nami looked disgusted and Nojiko looked amused.

"We just wanted to say, thanks." Nojiko said.

"Why are you thanking us? The Whitebeard guys did all the fighting." Ace asked.

"Yeah, they were the ones that fought, but it would've been too late to save Bellemere if Arlong wasn't distracted." Nami said.

"Who's Arlunb?" Luffy asked and the two girls looked at him weirdly.

"Long Nose." Sabo answered.

"Oh, him. I hate that guy." Luffy said with an annoyed look.

"Yeah, and we wanted to know if you were going to join the town in the celebration later." Nami said.

"We thought about it, but we're just going to hunt our own food." Sabo answered.

"Hunt?" Nami asked.

"Yeah, you know, killing and eating animals." Ace answered sharply. He was annoyed that these girls were holding them up.

"But what animals are you going to hunt?" Nojiko asked.

"Alligator!" Luffy shouted and caused passersby to look at them.

"There are no alligators on this island." Nami said.

"Then we'll hunt down a bear." Ace answered coldly.

"No bears either." Nojiko said.

"Well, what animals are on this island?" Sabo asked.

"Not many. The forests on this island aren't that big, so there aren't many wild animals. The only wild animals you may find are rabbits and squirrels." Nojiko explained.

"WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FOOD?!" Ace yelled. He didn't really see how anyone could survive on an island like this. He and his brothers would've starved a long time ago if they couldn't hunt.

"AAAAAAAAH! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO EAT?!" Luffy yelled with the same amount of panic Ace had.

"CALM DOWN, YOU TWO!" Sabo yelled at them.

"But there is no meat! We'll starve without meat!" Luffy grabbed Sabo's shirt and shook him.

"Let go of me! And there is meat on this island!" Sabo shoved Luffy off of him.

"Oh, really? That's good! I was really worried there!" Luffy said with a relieved smile. Ace rolled his eyes at his stupidity.

"Luffy, how can there be meat on this island if there are no animals." Ace pointed out.

"We trade for it." Nojiko said.

"Huh? Trade?" Ace asked confused.

"Yes, Ace. If an island doesn't have much meat, they trade with people on other islands." Sabo answered.

"Why didn't you say so in the first place?! We panicked over nothing!" Ace yelled.

"I couldn't! You were too busy spazzing out!" Sabo yelled back.

"MEAT!" Luffy yelled out of the blue.

"I know you're hungry, Luffy, but we'll figure something out later." Ace sighed in annoyance. Today just wasn't his day.

"No! Meat!" Luffy pointed to something.

Ace looked and saw the Whitebeard pirates carrying a large supply of meat. Ace felt his stomach growl in hunger, and his mouth began to water. He had nothing but small fish to eat the past week and it was catching up to him. He, however, refused to accept food from them.

"Are you going to cook all that meat?!" Luffy asked eagerly when the two pirates get close enough.

"Yup! I bought a huge supply for the town celebration. It would be an insult to me, as a chef, to let this town do all the cooking." Thatch said.

"Can we have some?!" Luffy asked.

"No, Luffy! We aren't eating anything these guys cook!" Ace said.

"But, Aaaaaaaacccceeee!" Luffy whined and gave him the kicked puppy look. Ace had to stay strong. He didn't believe Sabo or Luffy when they said they were good guys. He had a feeling that they would poison the food, or something worse. Just look at what happened to Bluejam. He let his guard down a little, and Luffy and Sabo could've been hurt or worse because of it. He wasn't going to make that mistake again.

"No! We'll just fish again if we have to." Ace said.

"But we haven't had much luck fishing so far." Luffy pouted.

"Ace, I hate to admit it, but Luffy is right. We haven't caught that many fish, and we need to eat something soon." Sabo sighed.

"No, Sabo. They could poison the food or something."

"If that's what you're worried about, you can just watch me cook to make sure I don't poison it." Thatch said.

"Right, so you can trap us in your kitchen and ambush us! No thank you!" Ace growled at the man who flinched at his tone. Ace didn't care. He wanted these guys to know not to mess with his brothers.

"Ace, look at Luffy." Sabo pointed out.

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

Ace looked at his youngest brother. He was eyeing the meat hungrily, and drool was pooling out of his mouth. What caught Ace's attention, though, was how thin he looked. He wasn't skeletal by any means, but Ace could definitely tell that his brother was thinner than he was a week ago. Ace felt worry prickle in the back of his mind. Luffy was scrawny to begin with, this past week didn't help at all. He felt guilt weigh down in his stomach like a pile of rocks. Maybe Sabo was right about the food all along. But thin or not, he still didn't think these pirates could be trusted.

"Maybe our luck will be better now that we're on an island." Ace shrugged trying to keep a cool look.

"Or maybe it will stay the same it had been this past week. Do you really want to risk it?" Sabo asked.

Did he? It was true that Luffy and Sabo, once he got to looking at the blond, were thinner from lack of food. Did that mean he should trust these pirates? Ace didn't care if he got hurt or worse, but if his brothers were harmed in any way…

Maybe the fishing would be just as lousy as it had been. Could he really keep his brothers from the first real meal they had had in a week? But then again, could he risk the food being poisoned? Trusting pirates in the past got them in trouble, but Luffy did say they were nice people. What was he thinking? They absolutely couldn't be trusted! They were only luring them into a false sense of security, and Sabo was falling for it!

Ace was about to get some sense snapped into Sabo when Luffy's stomach let out a loud growl. Ace looked at his brother, and saw how hungry he looked. Luffy seemed ready to eat his straw hat to satisfy the hunger that gnawed at his belly. Could he really do that to his brother? Keep him from the meat he longed for? The week dragged on for Ace, so he knew it must have felt like an eternity to Luffy. Ace's head began to hurt from his inner conflict.

"I-I don't know." Ace finally admitted.

"Maybe Bellemere can help with the cooking. She would rather die than let a kid get poisoned." Nojiko said and Ace jumped. He had forgotten the two girls were there.

"Yeah, and that way you don't have to worry about them attacking you on their ship." Nami chimed in.

Ace narrowed his eyes at the girls and said, "How do I know you aren't lying."

"Because you have my word as a mother." A new voice said. Ace turned and saw the pink haired lady from earlier.

"Bellemere! Did Doctor Nako look over you already?" Nami asked.

"Nah, he's too busy stitching up Genzo, so I decided to give them some privacy." Bellemere waved her hand in dismissal.

"You mean you snuck away before he could look at you." Nojiko said dryly.

"Eh, details." Bellemere shrugged.

"What do you mean 'you have my word as a mother'?" Ace asked suspiciously.

"Well, I'm Nami and Nojiko's mother. And, as a parent, it hurts my soul to see kids mistreated. It's the same for any decent parent." Bellemere said.

"How do I know that you're telling the truth?" Ace asked again.

"Geez this kid is stubborn. Look, if anything happens to you or your brothers, then I will personally see to it that these guys suffer the consequences. Is that good enough for you?" Bellemere said in an exasperated tone.

"Come on, Ace! I'm starving!" Luffy whined and caused some of Ace's resolve to crumble slightly.

Ace thought about it. He hardly knew any of these people, and he was being asked to trust them. If it weren't for how hungry his brothers were, he would've told them to go screw themselves. But if on the off chance they could be trusted, he would feel guilty for keeping them from a meal they so desperately needed. He looked at Luffy's pleading eyes, and the guilt in his stomach increased. It was his idea to leave the island with so little food. He should've listened to Sabo, but his stubbornness got in the way. Now it was possible that his stubbornness was getting in the way again, and Luffy and Sabo would pay for it. Ace heard a sniffle coming from his youngest brother. Oh, damn it all, he was crying! Why was he stuck with a crybaby for a brother?

"Stop crying, you big baby! Fine! If it'll get you to shut up, we can eat at the celebration! But," Ace turned to the three adults, "-if anything happens to my brothers I will kick your asses!" Ace said darkly to get his point across. The adults smiled which put Ace on edge.

"We would think less of you if you didn't." Pineapple Head said.

With the debate over the adults walked towards a boat with what Ace assumed to be Whitebeard's Jolly Roger. Ace felt a sense of foreboding. What had he done? He could very well have put his brothers in danger by choosing to trust these guys. He couldn't believe he let his emotions get away like that!

Ace's thoughts were interrupted by a pair of rubbery arms that wrapped around him.

"Shishishishi! Ace is the best!" Luffy laughed in his ear.

"Get off of me!" Ace struggled against his Luffy who eventually let go.

Sabo pulled Ace over to the side while Luffy stared to talk to Nami and Nojiko. They got far enough that Luffy couldn't hear them, but close enough to keep an eye on their unpredictable brother.

"You did the right thing, Ace." Sabo patted his back.

"Did I? What if trusting those pirates puts us in the same situation as it did when I went along with Bluejam's plan?" Ace asked unsure of the rash decision he made.

"Bluejam was a bad guy to begin with. He had no problems with killing all those people in the Gray Terminal to get what he wanted. These guys just took out a bad pirate to save an Island. I think they're good people." Sabo said.

"How do we know it isn't an act? How do we know they aren't just pretending to be nice so they can trick us later?"

"Because Luffy said they're good people." Sabo answered with confidence.

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

"If you paid attention in the past, you would've noticed that Luffy is unusually perceptive of others. He can tell better than anyone else I've met who is good and who is bad. And Luffy seems to like these guys. He liked them enough to ask them to join his crew. To join his family. Do you think he would ask them to join if he thought they were bad guys?"

Ace fell silent. When did Sabo start making so much sense? Sure he was always smart, but it was scary how simple he made everything seem right now. He thought back to the past, realized how right he was. Every person they came across, good or bad, Luffy was usually able to tell right away what they were. Ace began to see Luffy in a different light. Despite all of this, though, a large part of Ace was still uneasy about those pirates.

"That makes sense, but I still think we should be warry of them." Ace said while crossing his arms.

"I agree with you there." Sabo nodded.

"You agree with me?" Ace asked dumbfounded.

"They may be good people, but they're also pirates. It'd be foolish to fully trust them."

"What about earlier? You pretty much just asked me to trust them!" Ace was getting angry. First Sabo said to trust them, and now he said to not trust them? What was his deal?!

"I only asked you to trust them enough to cook a meal that we need desperately. I didn't want you to become their adopted child." Sabo said.

"Don't say it like that! You're making my internal struggle seem stupid!" Ace yelled feeling embarrassed.

"It only seemed stupid because you're too stubborn for your own good!" Sabo yelled back.

Before Ace could argue back, the old doctor ran out of the building he walked in earlier, and yelled for Bellemere.

"Hey kids, you haven't seen Bellemere, have you? She snuck away while I was tending to Genzo." He asked them.

"Yeah! She's in the- MMPH!" Luffy's mouth was covered by Nami and Nojiko.

"She ran that way." Nojiko pointed in the opposite direction of the harbor.

"Damn woman! She thinks she can get out of a check-up like that? I'll show her." The doctor ran off in the direction Nojiko pointed.

"Why didn't you tell him where she was?" Sabo asked.

"She can get looked over after the food is done. You guys look like you're starving." Nami said.

"She's right. You need to eat more than she needs to be looked over." Nojiko nodded in agreement.

Ace looked at his two brothers and took in their thinness once more. While a part of him still hated himself for allowing complete strangers to cook their food, another part was happy that they would eat their fill after going so long without a proper meal. Maybe Sabo had a point, not that he would out right say it. He still had his pride after all.

"When will the food be ready?! I'm starving!" Luffy yelled.

"Luffy, they just started cooking. Be patient." Sabo said with a sigh.

"But I'm hungry!" Luffy whined.

"Hey, Luffy, do you want to play a game?" asked Sabo.

"Yeah! What kind of game?" Luffy cheered having momentarily forgotten about his stomach.

"Can we play, too?" Nami asked.

"No." Ace answered flatly. These girls got on his nerves, so he didn't want to deal with them more than he had to.

"Why not?!" Nami, Nojiko, and Luffy asked loudly. Nami and Nojiko asked out of anger while Luffy asked in a whine.

"Because I don't like you." Ace said in an annoyed tone.

"But I like them, Ace! I want them to play!" Luffy stomped his foot in defiance.

"Yeah! And we want to play!" Nami yelled.

"Let's take a vote. All those who say the girls play, raise your hand." Sabo said raising his hand as an example.

Nami and Nojiko raised their hands. Luffy had both of his up, like he thought two hands would count as two votes.

"All those opposed?" Sabo asked raising his other hand.

Nami, Nojiko, and Luffy lowered their hands while Ace raised his.

"Looks like the girls play." Sabo said.

"No way! I demand a recount!" Ace yelled.

"Ace, it's three to one. They win the vote." Sabo said.

"No, it's a tie! The girls' votes don't count!" Ace yelled.

"Then I still win because I had two hands up while Ace only had one!" Luffy cheered with that impossibly huge grin of his.

"IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT, YOU IDIOT!" Ace yelled and bonked him on the head.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR, YOU JERK?!" Luffy yelled back.

"STOP IT!" Sabo yelled and bonked both him and Luffy over the head.

"What the hell, Sabo?!" Ace yelled and rubbed his head.

"That was to stop a pointless argument. The girls play, and that's that!" Sabo crossed his arms.

"Who put you in charge?!" Ace was outraged.

"You did when you decided to act like an ass!" Sabo yelled which cause the other three to giggle.

"Shut up!" Ace yelled at the laughing trio, which only cause them to laugh harder. He didn't like it that they were ganging up on him.

"Fine! If they play, then I don't." Ace crossed his arms and turned his back to them.

"Nooo! Ace, you have to play! It's no fun without you!" Luffy yelled and suddenly clung onto him like a monkey.

"Get off of me!" Ace struggled, but Luffy didn't budge.

"Forget him, Luffy. He'd just ruin the game with his sour attitude." Sabo said.

"Nu-uh! Ace makes everything funner!" Luffy whined while he still clung to Ace.

"Funner isn't even a word, you dumbass! Now get off of me!" Ace tried banging Luffy against a nearby building, but it didn't really work with him being made of rubber.

"See! He just insulted you! Let's just play the game without him!" Nojiko said.

"No! If Ace isn't playing, then I'm not playing either!" Luffy tightened his grip on Ace for emphasis.

"Oh for Pete's sake! Ace, just play the game!" Sabo yelled with his hands massaging his temples.

"Only if the girls don't play!"

"We're playing whether you like it or not!"

"Yeah, you jerk!"

"Then I'm not playing!"

"I'm not playing if you're not playing!"

"Dang it, Luffy! I said get off of me! Sabo, help me get him off!" Ace struggled some more.

"Only if you agree to play with ALL of us without complaint." Sabo said

"NO WAY!" Ace yelled and Luffy tightened his grip sealing off his airway.

"Gakk! Sabo… help… he's choking… me!" Ace said and tried even harder to throw him off.

"Not until you agree to play!" Sabo said firmly. Ace saw the two girls looking at him with amusement.

"Ne…ver!" Ace said as loud as he could without any air. And Luffy tightened his grip further. Ace felt like his head was going to explode. He felt a headache starting to come on, and the edges of his vision started to blur. If he didn't agree to play the damn game Luffy could very well kill him.

"O… kay! I'll… play!" Ace said barely louder than a whisper.

"What was that?" Sabo asked obviously amused by this whole situation.

"I'll… play!" Ace said as the blackness became stronger, and just as he was about to pass out Luffy released him.

Ace, suddenly able to breath, inhaled deep gulps of air. He coughed a few times as he tried to catch his breath. His vision returned to normal, and he now had a pounding headache. Once he finally caught his breath he swerved around to Luffy and punched him several times on the head.

"Ow! What the heck, Ace?!" Luffy yelled and rubbed his head.

"YOU COULD'VE KILLED ME!" Ace yelled back.

"AND YOU!" Ace turned to Sabo who had a shit-eating grin on his face.

"YOU WERE JUST GOING TO LET HIM KILL ME!" Ace was absolutely livid.

"No, I wasn't. He would've let go once you passed out. But you agreed to play the game without complaint, so let's play!" Sabo said cheerily.

"Only because Luffy was strangling me!" Ace yelled.

"It doesn't matter! You said you would, and now you have to do it!" Luffy said with a smile.

Ace glared at all of them. He could always just refuse again, but he had a feeling Luffy would choke him again if he did. He had no choice but to play the damned game. But he would not let this go. He would get them all back. After all, revenge was a dish best served flaming hot.


	4. Chatting with Pops

**Sorry about the wait, guys. My whole family is on edge because the oldest grandchild is having a baby, and the baby is about a week and a half overdue. So all the chaos set me back some on writing, but I won't abandon this story. I have too much in store to just stop writing it like that. I hope the wait was worth it.**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

Bellemere followed the two Whitebeard pirates to the boat they were using. She never thought she'd see the day where she'd owe her life to pirates. Not just any pirates either, pirates of one of the most notorious crews that currently sailed the seas. She chuckled at the irony.

She knew that the pirates were the ones who actually took care of the fishmen, however she owed her life to the boy just as much as she did the pirates. She was surprised, to say the least, when the half-starved child squirmed his way through the crowd to insult Arlong and asked for food. She would have laughed if she wasn't moments away from dying.

She was even more surprised when the bullet bounced off him, and the other kid said something about being made of rubber. She didn't understand how a child could be made of rubber until Arlong said it was a Devil Fruit. Her shock grew when he said that. She thought Devil Fruits were a myth. To actually see a Devil Fruit user in the weakest of the Blues was truly something to behold, even if he was a child.

She almost fainted when she realized that not one, but two Whitebeard commanders showed up. Her head was spinning at that point. The events of the past few minutes she thought would be her last swirled around in her mind as she tried to process it. She fell to her knees, and blocked out the relatively short battle. This was an unusual day to say the least.

She snapped out of her thoughts when Nami and Nojiko ran up to her, and hugged her with tears in their eyes. She blinked at them and realized that she was also crying. She hugged her girls tightly, and just reveled in the fact that they were all alive and together. She looked at her small family, and felt pure joy. The nightmare was over before it even started.

"I thought that boy would never agree to letting us cook them a meal." Thatch said pulling Bellemere out of her musings.

"He's stubborn, I'll give him that." Marco said in agreement.

"He may be stubborn, but he also has a lot of guts. Not many kids his age would stand up to pirates to protect their family." Bellemere pointed out. She truly admired the kid for his bravery.

"I know, but something about him worries me." Marco looked over his shoulder to look Bellemere in the eye.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"No kid should act that paranoid." Thatch answered.

Bellemere frowned and said, "Paranoid? I thought he was just being hard headed about receiving help from others."

"That too, but he's mostly concerned for the safety of his brothers. He kept saying we would poison the food." Marco said and walked onto the ship.

"I thought that was an excuse he was using to turn down our help. You mean he really thought you'd poison it? Didn't he see you help a defenseless village from a tyrannical fishman?!" Bellemere just couldn't believe that a kid could be so suspicious of everything around him. He couldn't be any older than ten, so why would he have any of these emotions to begin with?

"We think they went through something so bad that they had to leave their home island. We aren't sure where their home island is or what they went through, but I have a hunch that their experience is what caused their mistrust of others." Thatch kicked open the door to the kitchen and led the way in.

"Wait, you mean to tell me that three boys went to sea alone?! They must've went through something drastic if they did that." Bellemere washed her hands right after Thatch did.

"That's our thoughts exactly." Marco said and sat in a nearby chair.

"Well, if they can't go home, I'm sure the village won't mind taking them in. They could move in with me if they can't live anywhere else. I know money is kinda tight, but I can't possibly turn down kids in need." Bellemere said and started to chop the vegetables Thatch laid out.

"I don't think they want to stay in the village. The younger one said they were pirates. If these kids really have the hearts of pirates then they won't be happy staying on one island. Especially now that they've set sail." Thatch said and got busy preparing the meat.

"Well, we can't just let them sail the seas by themselves! They'll die out there, especially the one with the Devil Fruit!" Bellemere chopped harder than necessary.

"And we aren't gonna let them. They have a lot of guts for kids their age, and they won't let anything keep them from the sea. I've only known them for a little under an hour, but I can see the love of adventure shining in their eyes. There is no way they'd stay on any island we'd take them to. However…" Marco trailed off.

"However, what? You can't leave them at any island if what you say is true. The only other options is to let them sail with you. But, you can't really expect Whitebeard to take in three children. He sails the most dangerous seas known to man!" Bellemere paused in her chopping and turned to look at Marco.

"They're young, but they appear to be strong for their ages. If any child were to survive the Grand Line, it would be those three." Thatch answered.

"And I was about to call Pops, and figure out his opinion on the brats." Marco said and pulled a transponder snail out of his pocket.

Bellemere watched as Macro dialed a number on the snail. The moment felt surreal to her. She was on a pirate vessel of one of the most dangerous pirate crews, and she was about to hear Whitebeard himself. If someone had told her yesterday that she would be in this situation she would've laughed at them.

"This is Whitebeard." Came a gruff voice.

"Hey, Pops." Marco greeted.

"Ah, Marco. You're calling to give me an update on your mission, I assume."

"Well, yes and no. Arlong came to a peaceful village in the East Blue, and was about to kill one of the inhabitants. We took care of him, and he's currently shackled up in a jail cell in the village. They contacted the marines, and they will pick him up tomorrow." Marco gave the brief summary.

"I see. You both did well, my sons. But, you have something else to talk about, don't you? Is Thatch wanting to go on another vacation?"

"I WASN'T GOING TO GO ON ANOTHER VACATION!" Thatch yelled startling Bellemere.

"No, he doesn't, as far as I can tell." Marco said and Thatch sulked. Bellemere felt like she was missing out on something.

"Well, what is it?" Whitebeard asked.

"We ran into some interesting kids."

"What do you mean by 'interesting'?"

"They aren't from this island. They apparently sailed to here from their home island on their own. The two oldest appear to be at least ten, and the younger can't be any older than seven."

"They're that young? What are they doing sailing by themselves?" Whitebeard asked in disbelief.

"We aren't 100% sure, but we think something happened on their island. Something so big that all three of them no longer felt safe, and fled with little to no food. They look half-starved."

"Have you tried asking them?"

"Yes, but the older two stopped the youngest from answering. They seem to have trust issues."

"Yeah, that freckled kid, especially. All of us had a hard time convincing him to let us feed him and his brothers one meal." Thatch said now standing next to Marco.

"So, the brats have a hard time trusting pirates, eh?"

"Yeah, but they aren't exclusive to mistrusting pirates. They have a hard time trusting everyone. They also claim to be pirates themselves." Marco said.

"What's more, the youngest called Arlong, Long Nose. Not only that, but the brat didn't even flinch when a gun was aimed at him." Thatch said proudly like it was his own son that did it.

"Gurarararara! What cheeky brats!"

"Anyways, we don't feel right just leaving these kids to sail by themselves, and they have the look of adventurers about them. We don't think they'll stay on any island we bring them to. So, we want to know what you want us to do about them." Marco said and the line went silent. Apparently, Whitebeard was thinking something over.

"Where are the brats now?" came his reply after a few seconds of silence.

"They're somewhere in the village." Thatch answered.

"If possible, I would like to speak to them."

"I'll go get them now. They can't be too hard to find." Marco stood up.

Bellemere watched him disappear behind the door as he head for the village to find a certain trio.

"You don't honestly think he'll invite the kids to sail with you?" Bellemere asked.

"I think Pops already likes them, from what little he's heard of them. The only problem we have to worry about is gaining their trust. Which doesn't seem to be an easy task." Thatch sighed in exasperation before he went back to preparing the food.

Bellemere returned to helping the cook. Three kids sailed by themselves, and they wanted them to join their crew. She shook her head in disbelief. She would never understand pirates, and she wasn't really sure she wanted to.

XxXxXxXxX

Marco walked into town while he carried the transponder snail. He spotted the kids easily enough. They seemed to be playing a game of tag, and the freckled kid seemed to be it. He was chasing everyone around like he was trying to murder them, and the others laughed at his expense.

"Hey, brats." He called getting their attention.

The kids stopped their game and looked at him. The two girls and the youngest brother looked at him with curiosity. The blond kid looked at him with skepticism, and the freckled boy looked at him with sheer anger. He vaguely wondered why the kid was in such an angry mood, and shook the question away.

"Pops wants to speak to you." Marco addressed the three boys.

"Wait! Pops?! You don't mean Whitebeard?!" The blond asked in shock, and the freckled kid was instantly between him and his brothers.

"The strongest man in the world?!" the straw hatted kid aske with stars in his eyes, and Marco nodded.

Straw hat boy ran past his older brothers and used his stretching ability to grab the snail out of Marco's hand.

"Luffy! What are you doing?!" The blond asked.

"Luffy! Put that down!" The freckled kid demanded.

"Hey, old man! Join my crew!" Luffy all but yelled into the transponder snail.

"LUFFY!" his brothers bonked him on the head.

"Gurararara! And why should I join your crew, brat?"

"Because the Pirate King needs strong crew members!" Luffy said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Luffy, we've told you a thousand times, you can't invite other pirates to join your crew!" the blond boy yelled.

"Gurarararara! You're a cheeky brat!" Pops laughed. Marco could tell that he liked the kid. He could hear it in his voice.

"Why are you even talking to him, Lu?! He's a pirate that doesn't sail under our flag! That makes him our enemy!" the freckled brat yelled.

"But Shanks is a pirate from a different crew, and he's my friend!" Luffy pouted. Marco was surprised at this. Did he mean the Emperor, Red Haired Shanks?

"Do you know the Red Haired brat?" Pops asked.

"Yeah! He gave me his straw hat, and I promised to return it to him after I became King of the Pirates." Luffy said and touched the straw hat fondly. No wonder that hat was familiar.

"Just because Shanks is your friend doesn't mean these guys are!" blond pointed out.

"But, Sabo, they know Shanks! They must be good guys!"

"Just because they know him, doesn't mean they're his friends." Sabo sighed.

"When did you have the chance of meeting him?" Marco asked.

"He visited my island for a year." Luffy answered.

"Stop answering their questions! They don't need to know everything about you!" the freckled kid bonked Luffy's head.

"I assume you're the brat that had a hard time accepting help." Pops said addressing the freckled kid.

"So what if I am?! Do you have a problem with that, old man?!" he grabbed the snail from Luffy and yelled into the snail.

"Don't talk to my crew member like that, Ace!" Luffy yelled and pulled the snail out of Ace's hand.

"HE'S NOT A MEMBER OF YOUR CREW!" Ace grabbed the snail again.

"HE MIGHT BE! YOU DIDN'T GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO ANSWER!" Luffy reached for the snail again, but Ace pulled it out of his reach. It didn't bother Luffy any since he just stretched his arm until he could grab it. All the while, Pops was laughing at their argument.

"Break it up, you two!" Sabo bonked Ace and Luffy, and grabbed the snail.

"I'm sorry about my brothers' behavior, Mr. Whitebeard. Luffy is a bit enthusiastic, and Ace is bit rude." Sabo apologized while the other two sulked. The two girls only watched on with curiosity.

"Gurararara! Don't worry about it brat."

"So, why did you want to talk to us anyways?"

"You wanted to join my crew, right?!" Luffy asked sitting next to Sabo.

"He's not going to join your crew." Sabo face palmed.

"My sons spoke of you, and I wanted to see for myself what you're like." Whitebeard answered.

"You talked about us?! See, Luffy! This is why you shouldn't answer their questions!" Ace snapped out of his sulking, and glared at Luffy.

"What? They only talked about us. What's the big deal?" Luffy asked.

"Will you two shut up already?!" Sabo yelled.

When they stopped, Sabo turned back to the snail and asked, "Why are you taking an interest in us?"

"It's not every day you hear about brats as young as you sailing off alone. Doing what you three did takes a lot of courage." Pops answered.

"How did you know we sailed off alone?!" Ace demanded and Sabo boked his head.

"Will you stop interrupting?! They know because Luffy blabbed, remember?!" Sabo yelled while Ace rubbed his sore head.

"Oh, yeah." Ace narrowed his eyes at Luffy who only smiled obliviously.

"I've heard enough. We will resume our discussion in the kitchen, Marco." Marco took the hint and grabbed the transponder snail out of the young blond's hand.

"Bye, old guy! Let me know if you change your mind about joining my crew!" Luffy's remark earned him two bumps on his head.

"Will you just forget it?! He's not joining!" Sabo yelled.

Marco turned around, and headed back to the boat. He didn't need to hear what Pops had to say next to know that he liked the brats, and wanted them as his new sons. That didn't bother him at all, since he liked the brats too. What bothered him, though, was how to get them to join. Right now, the only one that might would be Luffy, but he wouldn't join if Ace and Sabo refused. His original plan was only to get them to trust him short term, but he would now have to convince him to join his family. He hoped Pops had an idea of what to do.

XxXxXxXxX

Ace glared at the retreating figure of that Marco guy. They had talked about his brothers behind his back, and now they were going to talk more. They were planning something, he just knew it. If they didn't need to eat so badly, he would grab Sabo and Luffy and sail to the next island as fast as possible. The thinness of his brothers kept him from acting on his first instinct, though. So he decided to go with plan B.

While Sabo was busy lecturing Luffy on why he shouldn't give away information, he followed Pineapple Head back to the dock. He knew Sabo would be angry with him later, but he had to know what those pirates were talking about exactly.

"Where are you going?" asked a voice behind him. Ace whirled around to face the two girls from earlier.

"Go away! It isn't any of your business!" Ace frowned at them.

"No way! You're following that pirate, and we want to know why!" Nojiko said and Nami nodded her head.

"I told you, it's none of your business! Go back and play games with Sabo and Luffy!" Ace made a shooing motion.

They looked at him with narrowed eyes before Nami smirked and said, "Fine, we will. And we'll tell them that you're sneaking off to spy on the pirates."

"You wouldn't dare!" Ace glared at the two girls.

"Oh, we would. We will tell the whole town too!" Nojiko crossed her arms with a smirk of her own.

Ace could just send them away, but he didn't know if they were bluffing or not. He wanted to do this by himself, and if his brothers knew they would come too. He didn't know if the townspeople would try to stop him or not. He could always beat them up, but Sabo would be mad at him for hitting girls, and Luffy would be mad at him for hitting his friends.

Wait a minute! They all ganged up on him earlier, so why should he have to do what they wanted? He wanted to hit these annoying girls since they first said "hi". It was payback time alright! Ace was cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

"What are you doing Ace?" Luffy asked when he rounded the corner with Sabo.

"You weren't going to hit these girls, were you?" Sabo asked suspiciously.

"So what if I was?! They have been a pain in my neck since we met!" Ace yelled and Sabo instantly stood between him and the girls.

"How many times do I have to tell you to not hit girls?!" Sabo yelled at him.

"You were going to hurt my friends, Ace?!" Luffy yelled and stood beside Sabo. Great, they were ganging up on him again.

"He was just mad because he didn't want us to tell you that he was spying on the pirates." Nami said with a larger than necessary smile.

"You were going to spy on those pirates alone?! Do you even know how dangerous that is?!" Sabo asked.

"Yeah, and that's why I wanted to go alone!" Ace's comment was met with a new bump on his head. He was getting a migraine.

"There's power in numbers, you idiot! Did you honestly think you could fight them alone if they discovered you?!" Sabo yelled.

"I can take them." Ace didn't think he could, really. But if worse came to worse, he wanted his brothers to be safe.

"You're kidding, right? You saw how easily they took down Arlong! They would swat you away like a fly!" Sabo crossed his arms.

"Hey, I hate to interrupt, but you do realize that Luffy ran off, right?" Nami asked stopping the two from arguing further. Ace looked around, and sure enough, Luffy was gone.

"Dammit! You don't think he went to the pirate ship, do you?" Ace asked.

"It's Luffy. Of course he went to the pirate ship!" Sabo answered.

Ace ran off to the docks with Sabo next to him. If those pirates hurt even one straw on his straw hat, he wouldn't control what he did next. And he had a felling Sabo wouldn't stop him this time.


	5. Saving Luffy

**This chapter is a bit shorter than most. Sorry about that. On the bright side, my cousin's baby was finally born! She's a healthy, happy girl. But you aren't interested in family matters. You're here for fanfiction! Well, I hope you enjoy, and I'm sorry again for it being short.**

 **Oh, and thanks to D. Akisira R.T.M.S for being my 100th follower! (Apologies if I spelled it wrong.)**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

Luffy gaped in awe of the pirate ship in front of him. Okay, it was a small ship, but it had a pirate flag and a crow's nest on it, and that's the thing that counted. It was much bigger than the boat they traveled on, and the best part, Luffy could smell food cooking from inside.

Luffy put his hands over his growling stomach. He was so hungry! He couldn't remember the last time he ate! It didn't really help that he kept smelling food, and was told that he could eat later. He didn't want to wait any longer. He wanted to eat now! He made up his mind. He was going to eat what was in there, and that was that.

He steeled his resolve and made his way up the ramp. He looked around, and smiled widely. He was on a real pirate ship! He ran across the deck and laughed! This wasn't the first time he was on a pirate ship. Shanks let him explore his ship while they were docked at his village, but that didn't stop him from feeling excited about being on a new pirate ship. It wasn't everyday he got to be on one.

He looked up to the crow's nest, and his smile grew even bigger. Back on Dawn Island, he and his brothers had a tree house with a crow's nest of its own. He loved playing pirates with his brothers in that tree house, and he loved it when it was his turn to be in the crow's nest. He could see everything from up there. He wondered how far he could see from this crow's nest. He looked around to see if anyone was around.

The coast was clear. He looked back up to the crow's nest and tried to stretch up there. His arm made it about half-way up the mast before it started to fall. He reeled his arm back and tried again with the same result. He stopped, and tilted his head to the side. He couldn't stretch up there yet, but he wanted to get up there. He then got a brilliant idea. He stretched his arm to the half-way point of the mast, and wrapped his arm around it a few times.

"Gum gum…" he pulled himself back as far as he could while staying in the same spot.

"ROCKET!" He flung himself up, and shot past the crow's nest.

"Oops, too much."

He flew until he was a good seven feet above the highest point of the boat. He looked around and saw his brothers gawking at him from the dock. He smiled and waved at them, and felt himself starting to fall. He looked down and realized that he didn't shoot himself straight up. Instead, he shot himself a little to the side, and was now falling toward the ocean.

"AAAAAA! ACE! SABO! HELP!" he managed to scream before he fell into the ocean. Water started to flow into his lungs, and he instantly felt weak. He hoped his brothers saved him soon, he was already starting to lose consciousness.

XxXxXxXxX

"So it's agreed that the brats come with us?" Thatch asked from his place at the stove.

"Only of their own free will." Pops answered.

"But, Pops! If they refuse-"

"Then it will be their choice. I understand how you feel, Thatch. I don't want them to be by themselves either, but we cannot choose what someone else wants to do with their life. If we did that, we'd be no better than the Celestial Dragons." Pops answered.

"So what you're saying is we can try to convince them, but if they refuse then that's that." Marco stated.

"That's crazy talk! They're just kids for crying out loud! And you're telling us to just let them wander off out to the seas alone?!" Bellemere piped up from her vegetable chopping.

"They may be kids, but they're also pirates. That means they have the freedom to choose their own destiny, and the freedom to die fighting for their dreams. I'm not saying it's ideal for ones so young, but as fellow pirates, we must respect their decisions."

"So you're just going to let them die out at sea?!" Bellemere stopped chopping to fully face the transponder snail.

"Look, Bellemere, I-"

"No! You look!" Bellemere interrupted Thatch, and turned to face him.

"I don't care about these unwritten pirate laws or whatever! What I care about is three kids sailing alone, and you're just going to let them!"

"Now, now, Bellemere. They may have the freedom to do what they want, but so do we." Marco place a calming hand on the fiery woman's shoulder.

She turned to him calmer than she had been all conversation and asked, "What are you getting at, Phoenix?"

"Yes, Marco. Tell us what's on your mind." Thatch turned to his friend with curiosity.

"I'm saying, they may have the freedom to do what they want, but we have that same freedom. They may not want to go with us, but we may want to go with them."

"Marco, you're not suggesting that we follow the brats if they refuse, are you? They may hate that more than coming with us." Thatch said.

"Then they can deal with it. In the end, it wouldn't be right to let them sail alone. At least this way we aren't taking away their freedom to choose." Marco said.

"Thank you! Finally, a pirate with some sense!" Bellemere gestured to Marco.

"Are you sure about this, Marco? If you do this, it could be a long time before you return home." Pops asked.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep with myself knowing I let three brats with such promise die at sea because they were alone." Marco answered.

"Me neither. I'm kinda fond of the little brats. It'd break my heart to hear something happened to them." Thatch agreed and Bellemere smiled.

"Glad to see you changed your minds." Bellemere went back to chopping the vegetables.

"And you both feel this way?" Pops asked.

"Yes." Thatch and Marco answered without hesitation.

Pops chuckled slightly and said, "Very well. Looks like the Moby Dick will be vacationing in the East Blue for a little while."

"Pops, you aren't serious, are you?" Thatch asked.

"Just as serious as you two are. And besides, I want to see these brats face to face."

"Alright! Looks like Thatch gets his vacation after all." Marco said.

"I TOLD YOU I- you know what? Forget it." Thatch sulkily went back to cooking. He was dead serious about not vacationing this time, and nobody believed him.

"Okay, I'll tell the rest of the crew, and let you to get back to what you were doing. You said you were preparing a feast, right?" Pops asked.

"Yup! Bellemere and I have been cooking throughout the whole conversation." Thatch said.

"Right. I'll report back later, Pops." Marco said.

"Be safe, my sons."

"You too."

 _Gacha_

"Looks like you pirates have good heads on your shoulders after all." Bellemere said.

"What made you think we didn't?" Thatch asked.

"Well, when you were going to let the kids sail alone-"

"Like we'd just let them die. They have bright futures ahead of them." Marco said.

Things lapsed into a comfortable silence. Thatch focused on his cooking until a movement on the deck caught his eye. He looked out the porthole and saw the straw hatted kid running around.

"Hey, one of the brats is on our ship." Thatch said not taking his eyes off the kid.

"I thought one of them was following me. Which one is it?" Marco asked.

"The straw hat kid."

"That must be Luffy."

"How do you know his name?" Thatch turned to Marco.

"The brats used their names in front of me. The one with the straw hat is Luffy. The blond one is Sabo, and the angry, freckled kid is Ace."

"I'm glad we can finally put names to their faces, but they usually stick together, don't they?" Bellemere asked also looking out of the porthole.

"Not necessarily. Luffy ran off from his brothers when we first saw him. I get the feeling that he runs off a lot." Marco answered looking out the other porthole facing the deck.

"Not to mention he's easily distracted." Thatch watched as the kid stared up at the crow's nest.

The three of them said nothing, but they watched Luffy try to stretch up to the crow's nest a few times before he stopped. Thatch briefly wondered what he was going to do next when he stretched again. This time his arm wrapped around the half-way point of the mast.

"ROCKET!" they heard him yell as he flew up into the air past the crow's nest. Instead of going straight up, like they expected, he went diagonal.

"Crap! He's gonna fall in the ocean!" Thatch ran to the door as fast as he could.

"AAAAAA! ACE! SABO! HELP!" Luffy yelled before he splashed into the water.

Thatch threw the door open and ran across the deck where Luffy fell. He took off his shoes as fast as lightning and dived in after the kid. He spotted the brat not too far down. His mouth was wide open, and he appeared to be losing consciousness fast. He swam as quickly as he could and grabbed Luffy. He dragged the kid back to the surface and swam for the beach. Luffy coughed up mouthfuls of water, and took several deep breaths.

"My hat." he said drowsily when he could finally speak. The sea was still affecting him

"What about it?" Thatch asked.

"It's gone. Please, go get my hat back for me. It's very important." Luffy pleaded as much as he could while being under the influence of the ocean. Thatch was about to refuse, and offer to buy him a hat later, but he made the mistake of looking at Luffy's kicked puppy face. He felt his resolve dwindle greatly.

"Fine. Just wait here, and I'll be right back with it." Thatch reached the beach, and deposited Luffy. Luffy had apparently recovered, because he instantly jumped up, and tightly hugged Thatch around his middle.

"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHA-"

"I can't get your hat if you're attached to me!" Thatch tried to pry the rubber boy off. Luffy let go and smiled up at him. Thatch set him down, and made a "stay" motion.

Thatch turned around, and dove back into the water and looked for the hat. Thankfully they were near an island so the bottom wasn't too far down. He spotted the hat close to the floor. It was lazily drifting downward. Thatch swam down and grabbed it before it hit the bottom. He turned around and swam back up. He surfaced and took several gulps of air. He couldn't believe he just dove back into the ocean for a stupid hat. He swam back to the beach and saw the other two brats next to Luffy.

"JUST WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TRYING TO DO?!" Ace yelled.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Sabo asked.

"MY HAT!" Luffy yelled and ran up to Thatch when he made it to the beach. Thatch smiled down at Luffy and handed him his hat. Luffy's grin was impossibly wide as he plopped the soggy hat on his head.

"Thanks, Thatchy!"

"No problem, squirt." Thatch patted Luffy on the head gently.

Thatch then noticed something. This was the first time he was around Luffy without being yelled at by Ace or Sabo. He looked at the two others and saw the uncomfortable looks they had. Sabo kept opening his mouth like he was trying to say something, but didn't quite know how, and Ace looked like he was in the middle of an intense, internal struggle. Finally Sabo walked forward with a determined look. He studied Thatch's expression, and then he bowed.

"Thank you, Mr. Thatch, for saving our brother and his hat. I know it may have been annoying to go back in after it, but Luffy would've never shut up about it had you not done that." Sabo said straightening back up.

"Think nothing of it. I can't let the brat kill himself, now can I?" Thatch said wringing out his hair. Putting it back up was going to be a pain.

"Why?" Ace growled, and Thatch turned to him.

"Why, what?" Thatch asked.

"Why did you save him when we could've done it?!" Ace yelled.

"Ace, calm down!" Sabo went to console his brother.

"No! Not until I get an answer! What's your motive?! Why did you bother to save a kid you don't even know?! Why are you taking such an interest in us?! Tell me!" Ace had slowly made his way to Thatch throughout his rant, and he was now standing in front of him looking pissed off.

"Motive? What are you talking about? All I saw was a devil fruit user fall into the ocean. Do you really think I'm bad enough to let a kid drown like that?"

"We could've saved him ourselves! We didn't need your help!"

"Ace, we were on the other side of the boat. He could've drowned by the time we got to him!" Sabo stepped in.

"He even went back in the water to get my hat! I told you they were good guys!" Luffy said with his ever-present smile.

Ace stopped and stared at his youngest brother. An angry, but thoughtful, look spread across his face. He turned from Luffy to Thatch, and studied his face. His expression slowly became less angry, and more thoughtful. Thatch had never seen a kid this young look so intense about someone saving their loved one.

"So, you only wanted to save Luffy from drowning? You didn't want anything in return?" Ace asked quietly, looking at Thatch in the eye.

"Exactly." Thatch answered, and Ace only stared at him questioningly.

"If that's true, then why did you talk about us behind our backs?!" Ace asked louder, and his eyes hardened.

"Why wouldn't we talk about three kids sailing alone in the weakest of the Blues?" Marco asked as he walked up to the group.

"Huh. When you put it like that, it makes sense why you would take an interest." Said Sabo.

"Whatever!" Ace growled and looked away. Thatch noticed that Ace still placed himself between him and his brothers. At least now he wasn't glaring at them like they murdered his mom in front of him. It wasn't much, but progress was progress.

"The food is almost ready, and, from the looks of the town, the celebration is about to start." Marco pointed his thumb to the now decorated town.

"FOOD!" Luffy yelled and ran off to the town.

"Luffy! Wait!" Sabo ran after him.

"Dammit! Didn't you learn from last time?!" Ace yelled and followed his two brothers.

"I think Ace is staring to trust us more." Thatch said after they got out of earshot.

"More like he's suspecting us less. Either way, it's progress." Marco said.

Thatch chuckled and watch the three brats run into the busy village. He was slightly surprised at how quickly the mood of the atmosphere changed based on just one of their emotions. Those kids were truly something else.


	6. Celebrations and Departures

**Happy Halloween Everyone! I've been really busy these past few days getting my costume ready, but I made sure this story got up on this day! I just need to explain one thing before you read on. I mention an island called Haruna Island later on in this chapter. I did this because apparently the island's Zoro's dojo is on isn't named! Well, it might have a name, but I search and I searched. There is no name mentioned. So I used Haruna. Haru meaning "far off/distant" or "spring" or "clear up". I'm using the "far off/distant" meaning. Na meaning "vegetables, greens". So does the meaning make you think of a certain moss head? Because it did for me. I'll stop rambling now and let you get to the chapter.**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

Whitebeard hung up the transponder snail, and smiled fondly. Somehow, Marco had suggested what Whitebeard was thinking. If Marco hadn't said anything, he certainly would've. However, he wanted to make sure that following the brats was what his sons truly wanted. He wouldn't force them to go if they really wanted to come home, but Whitebeard had planned on going to the East Blue the moment he heard the youngest brat ask him to join his crew. It was a good thing he was checking up on his territories in Paradise. It would take longer if they had to sail to the East Blue all the way from the New World.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door.

"Come in." he said and Izo opened the door.

"Was that Marco and Thatch you just hung up on?" he asked.

"Yeah, it was. It's a good thing you're here. I need you to go tell the others to set sail for the East Blue."

"Huh? The East Blue? Why are we going there? Surely Thatch and Marco are enough to stop Arlong. Or is it because Thatch convinced Marco to take a vacation with him?" Izo asked the last part dryly.

"It's nothing like that. Arlong has been dealt with, and Thatch said he wasn't going on vacation this time."

"Then why are we going?"

"They may have found you some new brothers, and we're going to meet them."

"But why go all the way to one of the Blues? Wouldn't it be easier just to meet them here? The World Government will go into conniptions if we suddenly sailed to the weakest sea."

"The spoiled brats in the World Government can throw the biggest fit in history for all I care. And we're going because they may refuse the offer to join. In fact, that's more than likely going to be their answer."

"Okay, but why not just leave them alone if they refuse? Isn't that what you normally do?" Izo was obviously baffled at this point.

"Normally, yes, but this is a special occasion." Whitebeard took a swig of the sake he kept at his bedside.

"What makes this a special occasion?"

Whitebeard looked at his 16th division commander and said, "These potential brothers of yours are no older than ten years old. As a matter of fact, the youngest appears to be seven."

"Wait! What?!" Izo's eyes were wide with surprise.

"Yes, Thatch and Marco came across the three brats on the island Arlong tried to attack. They called themselves pirates, and they appeared to have sailed away from their home island all on their own"

"WHAT?!" Izo now donned an undignified look of shock, which was unusual for him. It just went to show how much the situation surprised him. He regained his composure after a few seconds.

"Wait, you mean three kids just sailed away on their own and called themselves pirates?!" He asked as if trying to piece together a puzzle that made absolutely no sense.

"That's exactly what I mean."

"Are they out of their minds?! Even if they are traveling in the weakest sea, they are still children! There are many out there who will take advantage of that! Were they not thinking?!"

"That's why Thatch and Marco are going to keep an eye on them for us until we get there." Izo sat in a nearby chair and put his face in his hands. Whitebeard patiently waited for all the information to catch up to him.

"What about their parents? They must be worried." Izo said after finally looking up.

"I don't think they have parents, or any worth mentioning. If they did, I don't think they would sail out so early in life."

"Maybe, but kids don't really think about the consequences of their actions. They could've set sail on a whim, and just didn't think about what was out there."

"I thought about that, but Marco said the youngest one mentioned something about setting sail at the age of seventeen. I think they planned on staying at their home until then, but something happened and they had to leave early. If that something was abusive parents turning murderous, I don't feel right sending them back there."

"I hate to admit it, but you have a point." Izo sighed deeply, and things lapsed into silence again. Izo looked to be gathering his thoughts together.

"Alright, I'll go tell the others to head towards the East Blue. We can't just let those kids sail around all alone." Izo stood up, and walked out the door.

Whitebeard closed his eyes, and listened to the sounds of his ship. He had been sailing the seas for a long time. He couldn't imagine staying on an island for very long. The call of adventure was too strong. If these brats had the hearts of true pirates, they would more than likely leave the island after a few days. He wondered just how far they would have to follow the brats. He chuckled at the sound of his sons and daughters' yells of surprise on the deck. He opened his eyes, and decided that they would follow as long as it took.

XxXxXxXxX

Luffy ran around the village with glee. The decorations were bright and colorful. The people looked cheerful. The musicians were tuning up their instruments. The best part, however, was how delicious the food smelled. He had been teased all day by the smells and promises of food, and now nothing was going to hold him back.

"Luffy! Dammit! We said stop!" Luffy was tackled from behind by his brothers.

"Let me go! I'm HUNGRY!" Luffy struggled, but he was held down tightly.

"We know that, you idiot!" Ace hit him on the head.

"They're still getting ready! We can't eat yet!" Sabo yelled.

"But I'm HUUUUUUNGRYYYYY!" Luffy whined.

"YOU ALREADY SAID THAT!" They both yelled.

"But it's true!" Luffy pouted into the ground.

"What are you guys doing?" Nami asked.

Luffy looked up and saw Nami holding a plate with some delicious smelling duck. Luffy stared it longingly. That was the duck he smelled when they first got to the island. He wanted so badly to sink his teeth into the sweet smelling meat. His mouth drooled and his stomach growled. He couldn't remember the last time he ate his fill.

"We're trying to keep Luffy from eating all the food before the celebration even starts" Sabo said and held Luffy down tighter.

"Well, I brought this duck over here for you guys." Nami said. With that sentence, Luffy pushed his brothers off with a sudden burst of strength, and grabbed the duck.

"Luffy!" They both yelled, but it was too late. Luffy had started to eat the duck. It was so good! The duck was nice and tender, and it was covered in an orange flavored sauce. It was gone in a matter of seconds. Luffy looked up and saw a crowd of people looking at him funny. They all had wide eyes and open mouths. Even Nami had that same look.

Luffy held up the empty plate to the crowd with a smile and said, "More!"

"HE'S STILL HUNGRY?!" The crowd yelled all at once, and Luffy felt his brothers bonk him on the head at the same time.

"Luffy! She said it was for us too!" Sabo yelled.

"Oh, sorry." Luffy said not really sorry about it.

"My, my. Couldn't wait for the celebration to officially begin, could you?" Pineapple Head asked as he helped carry a large pot. Thatch and Bellemere had their own pots to carry.

"These kids haven't eaten well in a while. What do you guys sat to letting them eat first?" Thatch asked and set his pot on the food table. Marco and Bellemere followed suit.

"You saw that kid devour a whole duck like it was nothing, right?!" one of the villagers asked.

"If they haven't eaten in a long while, then of course they will eat a lot!" Bellemere said after they set the pot down.

"Well, I guess that's true."

"And, they do look pretty hungry."

"I say we let them eat!" The villagers all agreed.

Luffy didn't need any further convincing. He ran to the food table and started to eat whatever he could get his hands on. Sabo, and eventually Ace, joined him.

"If I were you, I would get what food I could before we eat it all." Sabo called to the villagers who only laughed.

"You kids maybe hungry, but I think your eyes are bigger than your stomachs if you three think you can finish off all of this food by yourself." Thatch said.

Luffy didn't pay much attention to the villagers. He was focused on eating what he could. If had been so long since he had seen this much food, and he was not going to let it go to waste. He could tell that Ace and Sabo felt the same way as they ate just as fervently as he did. It wasn't too long before empty plates started to pile up, and the crowd went from amused to shocked.

"Where does it all go?"

"How can ones so small eat so much?

"Just how long did they go without eating?"

"Hey, who do you think will eat more?"

"My money is on the freckled kid!"

"No way! Did you see how fast the straw hat kid ate that duck? He's totally going to eat more than the other two!"

"Uh oh! They already ate half of the food on the table!"

"Crap! The blond one might be right about eating all the food!"

"We need to cook more food! Like NOW!"

"HOW THE HELL CAN THESE BRATS EAT SO MUCH?!" Thatch yelled.

Soon all the chefs in the village, including Thatch, worked together to cook as much food as possible in such a short amount of time. It was funny seeing them run around trying to keep up with Luffy and his brothers. If Luffy wasn't so busy trying to stuff his face full of food, he would've laughed at their antics. The chefs were just barely able to keep up with them.

The villagers that weren't chefs cheered on the trio. Some of them were even betting on who would eat the most, and they cheered on the ones they bet on. Luffy could hear Nami and Nojiko shout encouragements to him. Luffy didn't understand that at all. Why would he need encouragement to eat? Eating was his third favorite thing, right after his brothers and being a pirate.

After a while, all three of them finished eating. Luffy leaned back and rubbed his rounded belly. He hadn't felt this good in days. His stomach was no longer trying to eat its way out of his body, and he felt more energy than he had the past week.

"Wow! How on earth can you eat so much?!" Luffy looked up and saw Nami and Nojiko looking down at him.

Luffy sat up and said, "I was hungry, so I ate until I wasn't."

"What do you want?" Ace asked with narrowed eyes.

"Why do you care?" Nojiko asked also with narrowed eyes.

Luffy saw the two glare at each other. Luffy didn't know why Ace didn't like his new friends. Maybe it was because they were crying earlier. Ace did say he didn't like crybabies, but they were crying because they almost lost Bellemere. So wouldn't that be different from a crybaby? Maybe Ace just liked being a grump. Luffy then noticed something in Nami's hand.

"Hey, Nami, what's that?" Luffy pointed at the paper she was holding.

"Oh, this?" she asked holding it out.

"Yeah!"

"This is a map of the island. I drew it myself!" Nami showed it to Luffy.

"You drew this?! That's some talent you have!" Sabo said getting a closer look.

"Just looks like a bunch of scribbles to me." Ace frowned and Nojiko hit him.

"DON'T TALK ABOUT MY SISTER'S HARD WORK LIKE THAT!"

"WHAT THE HELL?! DO YOU WANT TO GET YOUR ASS KICKED?!" Ace rubbed his head.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO HIT GIRLS, ACE!" Sabo ran up and restrained Ace before he could attempt to attack Nojiko. All three of them were now yelling at each other.

"Shishishishi! They're funny!" Luffy said to Nami who only face-palmed.

After a few seconds of watching the three argue, Nami turned to Luffy and asked, "Luffy, do you have a dream?"

"Eh?"

"My dream is to map out the entire world. I can't wait until I'm old enough to go out there and start charting it all." Nami's eyes sparkled with passion, and she clutched her map to her chest.

Luffy looked at her and said, "You're so good at maps, you must be a good navigator."

"I'm not sure how good I really am now, but I've never been lost once in my life. Also I plan on learning all I can about navigation. The ship I sail on will never be lost!" Nami said with fierce determination. Luffy looked at her for a few seconds and smiled.

"Right!" Luffy said and Nami turned to him with curiosity.

"Will you join my crew?" Luffy asked with a sincere smile.

"What?" Nami asked taken aback.

"I'm sailing with my brothers right now, but when I turn seventeen I'll sail out on my own. I'll find my crew, and together we will sail to the ends of the earth. And I will become King of the Pirates! So Nami, will you be my ship's navigator, and wait for me here. We can fulfill our dreams together as captain and crew!" Luffy held out his hand to Nami, who looked stunned at the offer. She smiled, and slapped his hand.

"Aye, aye, Captain."

XxXxXxXxX

"Are you sure this will be enough, Sabo?" Ace asked as he looked at the large package of meat that took up half of their small boat. The villagers insisted that they traded their dingy for a slightly bigger boat. It wasn't much, but it had a sail. There was also more room for the three of them to run around on.

"It will be enough to get us to the next island, _if we pace ourselves."_ Sabo stressed the last part.

"What's the next island?!" Luffy asked while jumping up and down.

"Haruna Island. It should take a little over a week to get there." Sabo rolled up his map, and turned to the small crowd of people who gathered to see them off.

"Well, this looks like goodbye. It's was nice meeting you all, and thanks again for the food." Sabo said politely.

"You know, kid. You don't have to travel alone." Thatch said.

"We aren't alone. We have each other." Ace sail coolly. Sabo was surprised at how much Ace calmed down about the Whitebeard pirates. He hated them at first, but now he seemed to only tolerate them. At least Sabo wouldn't have to worry about him attacking the older, more experienced pirates.

"That's not what we meant. If you would like, you could sail with us. Pops seemed to really like you three, and I'm sure the rest of our crew wouldn't mind." Marco said.

"Thanks but no thanks. We can handle ourselves well enough, and now we have enough food to last us to the next island." Ace said tensing up. Sabo tensed up as well. He thought Ace wouldn't attack, but if these guys insisted that they come with them, then there would be no holding Ace back.

Marco shrugged and said, "Alright. If you really want to sail in that tiny boat, we won't stop you."

Ace relaxed, which caused Sabo to relax. He had to keep a sharp eye on his brothers' body language. They could be unpredictable, but if you knew them well enough, you can spot what they're about to do before they do it. It didn't work all of the time, but Sabo was able to stop some, what would otherwise be, fatal accidents due to his observations.

"Awww! I wanted to see their pirate ship!" Luffy whined.

"No way! Remember when you went on their ship!" Ace pointed to said ship.

"Yeah! That was fun!"

"YOU ALMOST DIED!" Ace hit Luffy on the head.

"But I didn't!" Luffy pouted and rubbed his head.

"Only because you were be saved!" Ace yelled.

"Enough!" Sabo wedged himself between his bickering brothers before their fighting could continue.

"Thanks again for the rations of food. I'll personally see to it that it will last us until the next island." Sabo said to the townspeople.

"Think nothing of it, kid. Just stay safe out there." Bellemere said.

"Alright! Let's set sail for the next adventure!" Luffy yelled and ran onto the boat.

"Before we do, I got us something." Sabo said holding up his brothers. He had spent most of the day yesterday painting it, and he hoped they liked it.

"As you know, we were in a hurry when we left our island, and we left some things behind in our haste to escape." Sabo started.

"Yeah, we couldn't even grab some of our treasure that we saved up." Ace frowned.

"And we didn't get enough meat." Luffy pointed out.

"Right! Well one of the things we left behind was our pirate flag. So, with the help of some of the villagers, I found some paint and a black cloth, and I remade our original Jolly Roger." Sabo pulled the flag out from under his coat. It was the same as the one they left back on Dawn Island. Ace and Luffy's expressions couldn't look any happier.

"All right, Sabo!" Ace said and took the flag to get a better look.

"Sabo's the best!" Luffy cheered.

"I'll hang it up!" Ace said and climbed up the small mast to tie the flag. It looked to be half the size of the sail they were using, but they were sailing under their own flag at last.

"Now, we can head out!" Sabo said and untied the small boat from the dock.

"Bye everyone! See you in ten years!" Luffy called out.

"Ten years? Are you planning on coming back here?" Ace asked.

"You don't know? Luffy asked Nami to join his crew in ten years." Sabo said. Luffy had told them almost immediately after she agreed, but he guessed that Ace was too invested in his argument with Nojiko.

WHAT?! Luffy! Is this true?!" Ace turned to their younger brother who was still waving to the crowd.

"Yup!" He chirped.

"Why would you ask that witch to join you?!"

"She's my friend, Ace! And she's going to be my navigator!" Luffy turned around to fully face his angry, older brother.

"BULLSHIT! If she's joining your crew, then I'm not letting you sail out alone!"

"But Ace! I need to if I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"

Sabo sighed in frustration. Couldn't they get along for more than a few minutes at a time? Sometimes it was hard being the reasonable one. But, when he looked back on all of their adventures thus far, he really wouldn't have it any other way.


	7. What are You Doing Here?

**I am so sorry for this being so late. This chapter did NOT want to be written. I tried to make it good despite my small writer's block, but I have my doubts. I'll try to make the next chapter better, and hopefully get it up quicker.**

 **On another note, congratulations to Illusion-of-an-Icy-moon for being my 100th favorite! And thanks to everyone for reading my story!**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

"But Saaaaabooooo!"

"No!"

"Can't I just have a little more?!"

"I said, no!"

"Whyyyyy noooooot?!"

"Didn't you hear me when I said we have to ration it?! Do you want a repeat of our last journey?!" Sabo crossed his arm and frowned at Luffy.

"But I'm hungryyyyyyy!" Luffy whined.

"You're always hungry! And stop whining! We aren't eating anymore until dinner tonight!" Sabo scolded.

"Aaaaaceeee! Make Sabo share the food!" Luffy turned to his other brother who was looking out at something. Ace didn't answer. He just kept looking at the sea.

"Aaaaaccceeeeee!" Luffy yelled in his ear.

"Gah! Luffy! Why the hell did you do that?!" Ace rubbed his ear.

"I'm hungry, and Sabo isn't letting me eat!"

"So?! You're always hungry!" Ace angrily turned back to the sea. Luffy pouted. He couldn't help it that he was hungry all the time! And Gramps told them to eat whenever they were hungry. So why couldn't they eat the food they had now?

"What are you looking at, Ace?" Sabo asked and Luffy stopped pouting to listen.

"I'm not sure if I'm imagining it, but I think that dot in the distance is following us." Ace pointed to the horizon. Luffy looked, and sure enough, there was a dot.

"What do you think it is?!" Luffy asked completely forgetting about the food.

"From the shape, I'd say it's a ship. They're too far away to identify, though." Sabo said on Ace's other side.

"A ship? Do you think they're pirates?!" Luffy asked jumping up and down. He hoped they were pirates. It was always fun meeting other crews, even though he only met Shanks, his crew, Thatch, and Pineapple Head.

"I can't tell. Are you certain they're following us, Ace?" Sabo asked.

"I think so. I remember seeing them in the distance yesterday, and they're still there." Ace frowned.

"Do you remember seeing them earlier than that?" Sabo scratched his chin.

"We left the last island only a few days ago. I didn't think to look behind us. After all, we'll see the next island in front of us." Ace admitted.

"I would get onto you for not paying attention, but I'm guilty of it too. Even if I have the excuse of trying to keep Luffy from eating all the food." Sabo patted Ace's shoulder.

"Hey! I can rocket over there and ask them!" Luffy volunteered.

"THE HELL YOU WILL!" they both yelled.

"Why not?!" Luffy asked.

"Do you see how far they are?! If you rocketed over there you wouldn't even make it to the half-way point!" Sabo pointed out.

"So? If I fall in you will save me." Luffy picked his nose. He didn't see what the big deal was. His brothers always saved him before. So why wouldn't they now?

"Dumbass! You'd be too far for us to get you out!" Ace punched Luffy in the head.

"Ow!" Luffy rubbed his head.

"And even if you did make it, we don't know who they are! They would probably kill you on the spot!" Ace turned back to stare at the ship in the distance.

"But they might be nice! Maybe they'll share their food with us!" Luffy said with a smile. They'd be nicer than Sabo if they shared their food, and Luffy was so hungry.

"We don't know that, Lu. Not everyone is like Shanks." Sabo said.

"Well, we can sail towards them and find out who they are." Luffy suggested.

"Then we'd be walking right into their trap!" Ace said.

"Something is bothering me. Ace, you said you saw them yesterday, right?" Sabo asked.

"Yeah?"

"And they're just as far away from us now as they were yesterday?"

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"Judging by how far they are, the ship should be much bigger than our boat. That means they should've caught up to us by now." Sabo rubbed his chin in thought.

"So that just proves that they're following us. If they weren't they would've passed us up already." Ace glared at the dot in hostility.

"Either that, or we're hallucinating, but I doubt that. The odds of all three of us hallucinating the same thing is laughable."

"Hey it could be a marriage!" Luffy said.

"A marriage?" Sabo asked.

"Yeah, one of those things that makes you think you're seeing something, but it's not there." Ace clarified.

"Do you mean a mirage?"

"Yeah, that!" Luffy smiled.

"Well, whatever it is, we need to keep our eyes on it. If they are hostile, we need to be ready to fight back." Ace grabbed his pipe from the bottom of the boat.

"Yeah! And then we take all their meat!" Luffy lifted his pipe in excitement.

"You guys are hopeless." Sabo put his face in his hands.

Luffy looked at the mystery ship. It didn't seem to be very big, but if Sabo said it was big then it had to be big. The only big ships he ever saw were Shank's ship and Gramps' ship. He like Shank's ship better because it was a pirate ship. Gramps' was okay, but it was a stuffy marine ship.

Luffy felt a chill crawl up his spine. He had a horrible thought, and he hoped against hope that that wasn't the case.

"Are you okay, Luffy? You look pale all of a sudden." Sabo asked.

"Don't tell me he's sick! The last thing we need is to take care of an ill brother!" Ace griped.

"Guys, you don't think…" Luffy pause and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. It was then he noticed that his mouth was dry.

"What is it?" Sabo asked.

"You don't think…" Luffy started to tremble.

"Spit it out already!" Ace yelled.

"You don't think that's Gramps, do you?" Luffy finally squeaked, and his eyes felt watery.

Ace and Sabo fell silent. Luffy tore his eyes away from the ship on the distance to look at his brothers. Both of them looked panicked, and their faces paled to the point where they looked like ghosts. Ace was gripping his pipe so hard that his knuckles blanched, and Sabo bit his lip so hard that he drew blood.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!" Sabo chanted.

"Dammit! I didn't expect to run into that shitty old geezer so early!" Ace glanced at the dot with a mixture of fear and anger.

"SAVE ME ACE!" Luffy hid behind his brother. He felt like crying. He didn't want to face his Grandpa's "Fists of Love."

"Wait!" Sabo had calmed down and tried to get the others to calm down.

"What, Sabo?! We need to start paddling! That geezer isn't getting us today!" Ace tried to use his pipe as an oar, but Sabo stopped him.

"Will you stop and think for a minute?! If it really is Gramps, then why hasn't he attacked us yet?!"

"Maybe he's waiting for us to realize it's him!" Luffy suggested.

"Yeah! And now we know, then he'll come get us, and take us back to Dawn. Then we will have to go through his twisted idea of training!" Ace tried to get around Sabo to paddle, but Sabo wouldn't let him.

"I doubt that he would wait for us to start panicking. He usually just barges in after us, and starts 'training'."

"You can never know with him, though! He did leave us with mountain bandits, and expected us to become marines." Ace calmed down some, but he still looked at the ship in fear.

"It could still be Gramps! Maybe it's a new part of his training. Maybe he wants us to survive on our own until we reach the next island." Luffy said.

"Yeah! How do you know it's not the old geezer?!" Ace pointed his pipe at Sabo in accusation.

"How do you know it is?" Sabo pushed the pipe out of his face.

"Do you want to take that chance?!"

"You're being ridiculous, you know!"

"But Sabo! What if it is Gramps?! I don't wanna go back to Dawn, and I don't wanna go through Gramps' training!" Luffy squeezed Sabo around his torso.

"Gah! Luffy!" Sabo toppled over, but Luffy didn't let go.

"Ace, help me get him off!" Sabo struggled, but Luffy squeezed tighter to keep a strong hold.

"Oh, how the tables have turned." Ace smirked widely.

"What?!" Sabo yelled, and continued to struggle. Luffy tightened his grip more. He didn't want to let go until Sabo agreed that the ship was Gramps'.

"I seem to remember Luffy doing the very same thing to me back at the other island, and you did nothing while he slowly choked me." Ace kneeled down next to Sabo.

"You wouldn't." Sabo said.

"Luffy, tighten your grip more." Ace ordered and Luffy complied.

"Gah! Ace… you bastard!" Sabo said as loud as he could, which wasn't very loud. Luffy squeezed harder. He didn't know why first Ace, then Sabo got like that when he squeezed hard enough. Luffy was always okay when someone squeezed him.

"He won't let go until you agree with us." Ace smirked.

"Fine… it's… Gramps. You… win." At those words Luffy let go. Sabo took several deep breaths like he had been running all morning.

"I hate you." Sabo deadpanned after he caught his breath.

"So we agree that it's Gramps. What now?" Luffy asked and kept Ace and Sabo between him and the ship.

"We paddle." Ace went to paddle again but Sabo stopped him.

"Hold it, Ace. If it is Gramps, he hasn't attacked for whatever reason. We are still several days away from the next island. If we start paddling now we'll tire out before we even get close to the island." Sabo pointed out.

"So? At least it'll put more distance between us and that old fart." Ace picked his nose with his pinkie.

"Yes, but for how long? The fact is he hasn't attacked. As long as we keep calm and sail at this pace, he won't attack."

"What makes you say that?"

"He's been following us at least since yesterday, right? He had every chance to attack us, but he didn't. If we keep this pace we'll draw less attention. We can start paddling once we get close enough to the next island." Sabo said.

"Sounds smart, but what if he attacks us at night? We need to sleep in shifts."

"Fine, but I'm not letting Luffy take a shift alone."

"Why not?!" Luffy puffed out his cheeks in outrage. If Ace and Sabo could stay awake alone, he could too!

"I'm not letting you stay awake while the food is unguarded." Sabo said.

"Good point." Ace agreed.

"You guys are jerks!" Luffy pouted, and looked at the ship. He really hoped that it wasn't Gramps. He loved his Grandpa, but he hated the training. He also hated being told to join the marines. He told the old man over and over that he wanted to be King of the Pirates. Sometimes his Grandpa was just way too stubborn.

XxXxXxXxX

"What are they doing now?" Thatch asked.

Marco looked through the spyglass, and looked at the small boat they've been following for the past few days. The two older brats were talking about something, and Luffy was looking towards them while pouting.

"They've calmed down now, and Luffy seems to be pouting over something." Marco answered and put the spyglass down.

"Do you think they know it's us?" Thatch asked.

"I don't know why you want to keep it a secret, Thatch. They'll find out it's us when Pops and the others get here." Marco really didn't understand Thatch's thinking. Marco was willing to sail right next to the brats, but Thatch thought it'd be a good idea to keep their distance.

"I thought it would put them at ease." Thatch shrugged.

"And an unknown ship off in the distance will definitely help them sleep at night." Marco said sarcastically.

"Okay, so I didn't think it through."

"That's obvious."

"But I had good intentions."

"Look, can we sail up to them now? I think not knowing who we are is what caused their earlier freak out."

"How do you think they'll react when the mysterious ship turns out to be us?" Thatch frowned.

"I understand your concerns, Thatch. After all, Ace only recently started to tolerate us. However, I think sneaking around will do more harm than good." Marco turned away from the small dot ahead of them.

"How so?"

"They may not like it, but being honest and up front is always the best way to earn someone's trust."

"Yeah, you have a point."

"Also, it'll takes us a little while to get to them if someone attacks."

"Okay, you win. Let's unfurl the rest of the sails." Thatch turned to the mast to do just that. In order to stay the same pace as the smaller boat they only had one sail open. It worked like a charm.

Marco turned back to the small boat in the distance. He knew Thatch thought he was doing good, and Marco let him go along with it for a little while, but some damage was done to the trust they were trying build. Marco knew it was best to be openly honest about what they were doing. He only hoped it would be enough.

XxXxXxXxX

"Hey, the dot is getting bigger!" Luffy tugged on Ace's sleeve. Ace felt his blood run cold when he saw that the dot was indeed bigger.

"DAMMIT! START PADDLING!" Ace grabbed his pipe and started rowing. This time Sabo and Luffy joined in. He just knew that the shitty geezer would pull something like this. But everything be damned if he let his brothers go back to that island without a fight! He could almost hear the lecture that would no doubt take place. "Marine this! Marine that! You aren't going to be pirates! Blah, blah, blah!" And all the while being shown his "Fists of Love".

Ace turned around to get a peek at the approaching ship. It was closer despite their paddling, but it was still too far away to identify. What he could tell, though, was that it wasn't a marine ship. This caused Ace to calm down.

"Hey, relax! It's not a marine ship!" he told Sabo and Luffy.

"Oh thank God! I thought it might've actually been the old man when it started to approach!" Sabo sighed and put his hand over his pounding heart.

"I'm relieved!" Luffy smiled and flopped onto the floor of their boat. Ace felt annoyance toward them and hit them both on the head.

"What the hell, Ace?!"

"What was that for?!"

"Just because it isn't Gramps doesn't mean we can relax! Did you forget that they were following us for at least two days?!" Ace scolded. Sabo looked embarrassed for forgetting and Luffy just stared at him blankly.

"You're right. Sorry, I did forget." Sabo sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"But if it isn't Gramps, then what's there to worry about?" Luffy deadpanned while picking his nose. This time Sabo bonked him.

"Idiot! Did you forget that there are people like Bluejam out here?!" Sabo yelled.

"Eh?!" Luffy actually looked surprised.

"Dumbass." Ace muttered and looked at the approaching ship.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Ace yelled. The ship was now close enough to identify, and it was familiar. It had the Whitebeard Jolly Roger, and there were too very familiar figures on the deck. Ace felt nothing but fury at the sight of them. Were they stalking them or something?!

"Oh, what are they doing here?!" Sabo sounded more exasperated than anything.

"Hey, it's Thatch and Pineapple Head! Hi!" Luffy waved at them.

"Hi brats!" Thatch yelled and their ship got right next to theirs. Marco rolled up all but one sail, and Joined Thatch at the railing. Ace put himself between the older pirates and his brothers. He tightly held his pipe in his hands.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Ace growled at them. He felt nothing but hostility right now.

"Hi guys! It's good the see you!" Luffy chirped and Ace whacked him with his pipe.

"NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO BE FRIENDLY!"

"Ace is right, Lu. That can't be trusted right now." Sabo agreed.

"Why not?!" Luffy yelled while rubbing his head. Ace felt a migraine coming on. He had to deal with the two bastards in front of him. He didn't need an overly stubborn, whiney Luffy to go with it all.

"Why are we here, you ask? To make sure you three reach your destination safely." Thatch said, and Ace felt like killing them.

"THAT'S NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!" Ace started to lose feeling in his hands from gripping the pipe so hard.

"You may not like to hear this, but we aren't going to let you three sail alone." Marco said and Sabo had to hold Ace back.

"WE AREN'T JOINING YOUR CREW!"

"We know. We won't make you if you don't want to, but we couldn't sleep at night knowing you are out on these cruel seas by yourselves." Thatch answered casually, and it only angered Ace further. Who the hell did these bastards think they were?! As long as they were together they could handle anything! They didn't need anyone hovering over their shoulders!

"Hey, do you have any food?! Sabo won't let us eat what we have!" Luffy somehow got past both Ace and Sabo, and he was standing on the other ship's railing.

"LUFFY GET BACK HERE _NOW_!" Ace was at the very end of his patience. If Luffy didn't get back of his own volition, Ace was going to drag him back by his earlobes! As if he sensed what Ace was thinking, Luffy quietly landed on their boat.

"We don't need babysitters!" Sabo yelled from Ace's side.

"Whether you need babysitters or not, we aren't leaving you kids alone." Marco said.

Ace felt something snap in his mind. He couldn't stop himself from attacking, nor did he want to. These assholes had crossed the line, and they needed to pay the price. Ace was more than happy to be the one to give them the payment.

Ace had lunged at Marco, but he dodged it. This didn't faze Ace in the slightest. He turned, and swiped it him again. Marco dodged it again. Ace kept swiping at the older pirate, and he missed each time. With each dodge he felt himself grow angrier and angrier. He even tried a surprise attack on Thatch, but he too dodged Ace. Ace was now in a blind rage, and violently attacked the others. He never once got a hit on them. After a while he felt himself grow tired, but his rage kept him going.

"DAMMIT ACE, I SAID STOP! DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?!" Sabo yelled as he grabbed Ace from behind.

"LET GO OF ME! THESE BASTARDS HAVE IT COMING!" Ace struggled against Sabo's grip, but Sabo held fast.

"NOT UNTIL YOU CALM DOWN!" Sabo's grip slipped some, and Ace struggled harder. He was just about free when he felt a pair of rubbery arms join Sabo's.

"DON'T ATTACK THEM, ACE!" Luffy yelled in his ear.

"Luffy, keep holding him." Sabo said and let go. Ace felt Luffy's grip tighten, and something in the back of his mind screamed at him to stop before his breathing was cut off again. He blatantly ignored that small voice. All he wanted was to bash these guy's faces in.

"I'm sorry about this, but do you have any chains we could tie him up with?" Sabo asked, and Ace felt his air get cut off.

"Chains?" Marco asked.

"Well, you see, he can chew through rope. So, we're going to need something stronger." Ace's vision started to swim and his struggled became weaker.

"Isn't this a bit much?" Thatch asked.

"Trust me, it's the only way. Unless you want him to keep attacking you." Sabo's voice sounded far away.

"I think we have some in the storage room." Marco answered.

The blackness that started at the edges of Ace's vision had almost blocked his sight altogether. The sounds he heard sounded muffled and far away. The only things he could feel was Luffy's vice grip, his burning lungs, and his pounding head. He only had one thought go through his mind before he gave in to the darkness.

 _Sabo, you traitor!_


	8. Explaining and Bickering

***Peeks from hiding place* Ehehehe! I know it's been a while, and I'm sorry about that. But I'm not dead! And I have a new chapter! So please put** your **pitchforks down! Like I said before, I don't plan on abandoning this story! I just took a reeeeeeeaaaaalllllyyyy long break. And I'm sorry about that! But I don't plan on doing that again anytime soon, so please put the tomatoes away, and I'll..**

 **No, I said put them away.**

 **Don't pick up the tasers.**

 **Please back away.**

 **Okay! Fine! I'll start on the next chapter right now! Just please don't hurt me!**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

Sabo massaged his temples. He felt a headache coming on. Not only did Ace completely lose it and tried to attack the Whitebeard Pirates, but now Luffy wanted to draw on his face. Sabo would've let him do it under any other circumstance, however, he didn't need Ace to become even more irritable than he already was. And to top everything off, he still needed to interrogate Marco and Thatch on why they followed. He could only count his lucky stars that Ace was unconscious right now.

"But it'd be funny!" Luffy pouted while holding a marker inches away from Ace who was chained to the mast of the small boat.

"No, Luffy! You can later if he has a narcoleptic attack, but now isn't the time." Sabo explained for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Hmph! Sabo's no fun!" Luffy sulked and put the marker away. Right now, Sabo was just glad that he left it. He had to focus on their unexpected guests, and he couldn't worry about Luffy getting into trouble right now.

Sabo turned to said guests, and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Why not?" Thatch shrugged his shoulders which irritated Sabo. He was thankful when Marco elbowed his ribs.

"Look, I'm going to be level with you. We followed because we aren't going to let three kids sail around by themselves." Marco said, and Sabo was glad that someone else other than him knew when to take a situation seriously. He didn't appreciate being babied, however.

"I understand your concern, but we don't need an adult to look over our shoulder. We can handle ourselves just fine."

"We never said you couldn't, but it still isn't right to just let you go off by yourselves." Thatch said while rubbing his ribs.

"So you're just going to follow us around?" Luffy asked, now interested in the conversation.

"Pretty much." Marco said.

"Did you hear that, Sabo?! They wanna be part of my crew!" Luffy jumped up and down excitedly, and Sabo silently questioned where he got that conclusion.

"I don't think so, Luffy. I think they're just being overbearing." Sabo sweat dropped.

"But they're sailing with us, and that's like being on the same crew!" Luffy's smile didn't falter.

"We aren't joining your crew, kid." Thatch said.

"Aw! Why not?!"

"We're already part of a crew."

"But we're sailing together!"

"Not under the same flag." Marco pointed out, and Luffy seemed to understand.

"Oh, ok. But let me know if you change your mind." Luffy said and Sabo raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like Luffy to just give up like that. He still pestered him and Ace to be a part of his crew even though they refused every time. Maybe it had something to do with the flag. No matter what pirate crew they met, Luffy always showed respect to their pirate flag, even Bluejam's flag. Sabo guess that that had to be the case.

"I just have one question, though." Sabo said changing the subject.

"If you only wanted to follow us from the beginning, then why did you keep your distance at first?" Sabo asked. He just couldn't see the logic of hiding your identity, and then revealing it in a short amount of time.

"That was Thatch's idea. He thought you would be put at ease if you didn't recognize us." Marco pointed his thumb at his crewmate.

"An unrecognizable ship in the distance that follows us for days on end is supposed to make us feel better?" Sabo asked.

"Yeah, I know, I see the flaws now." Thatch rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Sabo internally debated whether they were telling the truth or not. Sure their explanation made sense, but that could be a ruse to lower their guard. But, then again, why would big time pirates bother attacking three kids just starting their adventure? Not only that, but the evidence showed that they meant more good than harm. They saved a village, saved Luffy from drowning, and even helped cook a feast. Even now, they were proving themselves. They had every right to attack when Ace took the first swing, but all they did was dodge. Hell, they could still attack now with one of them out of commission, but they were just standing there, and explaining why they followed. Sabo decided they were telling the truth, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Alright, I believe you, but that doesn't mean I agree with you. We're just fine sailing on our own. We don't need you to look after us." Sabo said.

"Even so, we're still sailing with you." Marco said, and Sabo sighed. He knew Luffy would like the extra company, and he, himself was irritated but accepted it. It wasn't like they could beat Whitebeard Commanders. His concern was Ace. Things would get loud once he woke up, and explaining the situation to him would be next to impossible. Even if he did bother to listen he wouldn't believe him. Instead, he would go into overprotective brother mode, and insist that he be unchained to kick their asses. This was going to be a long week.

XxXxXxXxX

"LET ME GO!"

"Not until you've calmed down!"

"THEY NEED A GOOD ASS KICKING!"

"No they don't!"

"SO DO YOU, YOU TRAITOR!"

"Traitor?! What-"

"I'LL BASH ALL OF YOUR SKULLS IN!"

"WOULD YOU JUST CALM DOWN AND LISTEN?!"

Thatch silently watched the exchange between the two older brats from his ship. Ace had woken up around five minutes ago, and it hadn't been quiet since. He kept yelling and thrashing about, and wouldn't even listen to Sabo. He glanced over to Luffy, who was laughing at the argument. He couldn't help but think how well they would fit in on the Moby Dick.

"Do you think he'll tire out?" Marco asked.

"Hopefully, otherwise we won't be getting any sleep tonight." Thatch answered.

"Ace will be yelling all night." Luffy said as he stood on the railing.

"What makes you say that?" Marco asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He's too angry to calm down. Don't worry, after a few days he'll get tired. Do you have any food?" Luffy jumped down onto the deck.

"Are your brothers okay with you being over here?" Thatch asked.

"They're too busy fighting to notice."

"Well, in that case, I don't mind whipping up something for you. What would you like?" Thatch could never turn down a hungry face.

"MEAT!" Luffy yelled and threw his hands in the air.

Thatch chuckled at the kid's enthusiasm, and walked into the kitchen. Luffy followed while Marco decided to continue to watch the fight. Thatch picked up a hearty chunk of meat from the fridge, and started to cook it. He knew it wouldn't be enough to satisfy the brat's appetite, but he needed to portion their food somehow.

"So, you're heading to Haruna Island, huh?" Thatch asked snapping Luffy out of his trance from watching the meat cook.

"Yup! That's what Sabo said!" Luffy chirped.

"Did you know that island has a dojo on it?"

"What's a dojo?"

"A place they teach martial arts and swordsmanship." Thatch explained.

"Cool! I wanna see the dojo!"

"It's in Shimotsuki Village. You can't miss it!"

"I'll find my swordsman there!" Luffy said with finality in his voice.

"You're seriously getting crew members this early?" Thatch knew he asked him, Marco, and Pops to join, but he didn't think he was really looking for crew members already.

"Yeah! I already have my navigator!"

"Sabo?"

"Nope! Nami!" Thatch was surprised at the answer. He assumed that Sabo was the unofficial navigator of their small crew.

"Isn't Sabo the navigator, though?"

"He is, but he doesn't want to be a part of my crew." Luffy pouted some.

"But, aren't you crew members?" Thatch was more confused than ever.

"We are, but I'm not the captain. When I get old enough, I'll sail on my own, and I'll gather my own crew. Nami promised to wait for me. She's my navigator." Luffy explained, and Thatch finally understood.

"I get it. So you're just sailing with your brothers temporarily. You'll eventually start your own crew." Thatch clarified.

"Yup!"

Thatch finished cooking the meat, and handed it over to Luffy. It was gone within seconds. Thatch didn't know why he expected anything different. After all, he and his brothers proved to be bottomless pits at the last island.

"Why are you so determined to become captain of your own crew?"

"The King of the Pirates can't work under someone else." Luffy answered. Thatch had almost forgotten his obsession to be Pirate King.

"Okay, but why do you want to be King of the Pirates?"

"I promised Shanks." Luffy's hand subconsciously touched his hat. So Marco wasn't kidding him when he said the brat knew Shanks.

"Can I have more?" Luffy asked handing the empty plate to Thatch.

"Sorry, but we have to ration our food. If we eat it all at once, we won't have anything to eat until the next island." Thatch explained.

"That's what Sabo said." Luffy pouted.

"Then Sabo is a bright kid. C'mon, let's see if the argument is close to finishing." Thatch put the plate away and gestured to the door. The two of them walked back out and met up with Marco. Sabo was also on the ship, and Ace kept yelling from his position on the small boat.

"Luffy, you shouldn't go onto their ship without me or Ace knowing." The poor kid sounded exhausted. Thatch didn't blame him for being so tired. He appeared to be the only rational on of their crew, and that had to be taxing on the small brat.

"But I was hungry, and Thatch gave me food." Luffy deadpanned.

"Don't accept their food either. We have our own, and we don't need to bother them." Sabo rubbed his temples. He appeared to be approaching his wits end.

"But you wouldn't let me eat any, and I was hungry!" Luffy pouted.

"We'll eat more tonight, now please come back to the boat."

"No."

"What did you say?"

"I said no! Sabo is a meanie who won't share food! I wanna stay with Thatchy!"

"Luffy, I really don't want to put up with your stubbornness right now!"

Luffy stomped his foot and said, "I'm staying!"

"Don't make me tie you up too." Sabo looked like he would go through with his threat, but Luffy was either oblivious or didn't care. Thatch guessed it was the former. Luffy made a face at Sabo, and that appeared to be the final straw. Sabo reached for a nearby rope, and ran after Luffy. The straw hatted boy seemed to have finally gotten the picture and ran off. Thatch watched the kids run around on their deck, and realized that even a patient kid like Sabo had their breaking point. Thatch felt guilty for adding to the poor kid's stress.

"How did the brats manage to survive a week on their own?" Marco asked standing next to Thatch.

"I really have no idea. You would think they would've killed each other by then." Thatch looked at the chaos those three managed to create. One brat tied up, and yelling obscene things, and the other two running around the deck and yelling at each other. Thatch had a feeling that things would only get weirder from here.

XxXxXxXxX

Marco placed his tea back into the hot water. It had been hours since Sabo caught Luffy, and now Luffy was tied up next to Ace. All three of them had been yelling at each other non-stop. It was amusing at first, but now it was annoying. Marco went inside when a headache started to make its presence known. Marco figured that taking a break wouldn't hurt, and Thatch promised to keep an eye on them just in case one of them snapped.

Marco's thoughts drifted to the island they were going to land on the approximately six more days. He wondered if they would calm down before then. He had a feeling Sabo and Luffy would, but he had his doubts about Ace. The kid was hard headed, and hated their guts right now. He wondered if Sabo would keep him tied up if they reached the island before he calmed down.

Marco listened to the yelling outside, and he knew that none of them would be able to sleep that night. He sighed and resigned himself to a sleepless night. Thatch would probably doze off sometime after midnight. Marco envied Thatch's ability to sleep in the loudest conditions. But he guess that one of them had to be up to keep the brats from killing each other, especially since one of them had the advantage of being untied at the moment.

The noise from outside seemed to get louder, and Marco took a relaxing sip of his tea. He learned to relax in the loudest conditions from his time on the Moby Dick. His brothers and sisters were noisy bunch, and these kids hardly put a dent in the loudest meals he had to sit though. But dammit if they weren't trying. Marco couldn't help but think of how well they would fit into his weird, but fun family. He only hoped they would eventually accept.

XxXxXxXxX

Sabo stirred from his sleep. He gathered his groggy mind as much as he possibly could in his current state. He tried to figure out what had woken him. He kept his eyes shut to block out the light of the rising sun, and focused on his other senses. The waves were steady, and peaceful. The breeze was gentle and refreshing, it was nice and quiet…

Sabo jerked his eyes open and realized that it was indeed quiet. The only noise around was the flapping of the sails, the water hitting against the two boats, and the gentle snores for his brothers. This was the most peaceful it had been in days. The two idiots were still yelling by the time he fell asleep. He guessed they finally tired themselves out.

His gaze wandered over to Luffy, who had his head in Ace's lap. He felt guilty for snapping, and tying him up like he did. He lost his patience, and Luffy got a punishment he really didn't deserve. True, he wandered over to the neighboring ship and ate their food without informing him, but he should've handled it better. A lot happened that day and his patience wore thin.

He carefully untied Luffy, so he wouldn't wake him. He needed to make up for his behavior somehow. He glanced at the food rations they had, and felt a heavy weight inside his gut. He hated relying on others for help, but he really couldn't see a way out of it.

He climbed up to the next ship, and walked into the kitchen. Thatch was in there preparing breakfast for him and Marco.

"Morning brat. I bet you're glad to hear silence for once." He said over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I am." Sabo shuffled his feet. He knew what he had to do to make things up to Luffy, but he had no idea how to go about it with Thatch. Thatch seemed to notice that Sabo had something on his mind, and waited for him to speak. After three minutes of silence, he finally decided to just wing it.

"Um, I know this is rude of me to ask, but I was wondering how much food you have." Sabo looked at Thatch who didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

"We have enough to last all of us to the next island."

"And by all of us you mean…?"

"You, me, Marco, Luffy, and Ace. Though, I doubt Ace would willingly accept my cooking again. Why do you ask?"

"I need to make things up to Luffy, but the only thing I could think of was giving him the rest of our rations. But I didn't want to do so without knowing if you had enough to share or not." Sabo hated to put their next meal in the hands to these guys once more, but the best way to get to Luffy was through his stomach. He knew he would get an earful from Ace once he found out, but he really didn't care right now.

"Ah, I see. Well, you don't need to worry. We have more than enough. Let the brat eat his fill, and I'll make an extra helping of pancakes for you both." Thatch said before moving the finished pancakes to a plate.

"How do you know to make pancakes for Luffy too?" Sabo asked bewildered.

"Please, I've seen how he eats back on the last island! The feast was barely enough to saturate you three! I know the provisions you have left won't be near enough to fill his stomach."

Sabo smiled softly before walking out. He hated that these guys decided to tag along without their permission, but right now, he was happy they were there. Now they had guaranteed meals, and extra guarding to keep Luffy from raiding their food. He was far from fully accepting their presence, but it was a start.

XxXxXxXxX

"Wake up, Lu."

Luffy was shaken awake. He opened his eyes and saw Sabo looking down at him with a small smile. Luffy was about to tell him good morning, but remembered that he was mad at Sabo. He frowned and turned his back to his blond brother.

"Luffy, I know you're angry, and you have every right to be. I'm sorry for my reaction yesterday. I was at my breaking point, and I took it out on you. That wasn't fair, and I'm very sorry." Sabo sounded like he was really sorry. Luffy turned back around looked at Sabo's face. He seemed to really mean his apology, and Luffy instantly forgave him.

"It's okay, Sabo. I forgive you!" Luffy smiled brightly, and Sabo sighed in relief.

"Thanks Lu. And to make it up to you, you can eat the food we have on this boat." Luffy jerked into an upright position, and felt his mouth beginning to drool at the thought of eating.

"Really?!"

"Yup! Have at it!" Sabo gestured to the food, and Luffy didn't need a second encouragement.

He dove toward the food, and started to tear into it. It was all pre-cooked, so he didn't need to worry about it being raw. But he would've eaten it raw if he had to. It was so good! Five minutes went by, and the pile of food was no more. Luffy rubbed his belly in satisfaction.

"Ah! That was tasty!" Luffy had completely forgiven Sabo for being mean yesterday.

"Glad you liked it. Now come on, Thatch is making pancakes." Sabo gestured toward the ship.

"Yay! Pancakes!" Luffy rocketed onto the ship, and burst through the kitchen door. Thatch jumped, and turned to Luffy.

"Pancakes!" demanded Luffy, and Thatch chuckled.

"I had a feeling you would still be hungry. Here, these plates are for you and Sabo." Thatch placed two plates stacked high with pancakes on the table. Luffy jumped into the nearest chair, and began to devour the fluffy breakfast pastries. Sabo walked in, and joined him.

Luffy was happy that Sabo was starting to get along with Thatch. He really liked Thatch. Thatch made good food, and was a good person. Maybe Ace would see that too once he woke up. Luffy didn't completely understand why Ace hated Thatch and the other guy. He guessed that Ace was being stupid, like he usually was.

"So, what do you brats plan on doing on the next island?" Thatch asked as he ate his own pancakes.

"I wanna see the dojo!" Luffy yelled. It sounded like a really cool place, and he just knew that he would find his swordsman there. He had a gut feeling about it. Thatch laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Eager as always, I see." A voice said from the entrance. Luffy turned and saw Pineapple Head in the doorway.

"Pineapple!" Luffy waved, and Thatch laughed harder.

"My name is Marco. Why can't you remember that?" Pineapple Head looked annoyed.

"Because you're Pineapple Head, Pineapple Head." Luffy said.

"Give it up, Marco. That kid will never call you by name." Thatch laughed.

Pineapple sighed and grabbed his own plate. He sat next to Thatch and began to eat his meal.

Luffy liked eating with these guys. The only thing that would make it better would be Ace. But Ace wasn't being nice right now. Luffy hoped Ace cheered up soon. Things just weren't the same without him.


	9. Hunger Strike

**This chapter was fun to write. And It is up sooner this time! Yay! I hope you all enjoy it!**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

Ace glared ahead. He refused to even acknowledge the presence of the traitor who was trying to feed him pancakes. The pancakes _they_ made.

"Come on, Ace. You have to eat something." The traitor said shoving the offending piece of food in his face. Ace turned away from the food. Well as much as he could while chained to the mast of their small boat. He absolutely would not eat it.

"Why is Ace not eating?" Luffy asked. Poor, innocent Luffy who was being led astray by the traitor.

"Because he's being stupid and overly stubborn like always."

"At least I'm not a-" The traitor shoved a piece of pancake in Ace's mouth before he could finish the sentence. Ace glared at the traitor before spitting out the food in his face.

"Dammit Ace! Would you stop?!" he yelled while wiping his face with a napkin.

"Luffy, would you tell the traitor to take the rest of those pancakes and shove them up his ass." Ace blatantly turned to Luffy, and ignored the traitor's frustrated groan.

"Okay! But, who's the traitor?"

"I'm not a traitor, Ace!" the traitor yelled.

"Did you hear something, Lu?" Ace asked in a mocking tone.

"Yeah, Sabo talked to you. Couldn't you hear him?"

"Who's Sabo? He sounds like a dirty backstabber." Ace said and Luffy looked alarmed.

"OH NO! ACE LOST HIS MEMORY!" Luffy yelled, and Ace could hear _them_ laughing on the other boat. He would get them one he was free from his temporary prison.

"ACE! DO YOU REMEMBER ME?!" Luffy grabbed Ace's face and held it inches away from his own.

"LET GO OF ME LUFFY!" Ace struggled to get his face out of Luffy's grasp.

"Oh, good! Your memory is back!" Luffy smiled. Ace would love nothing more than to punch the little idiot's head for being so stupid.

"He didn't lose his memory, Luffy. He's just angry that I won't let him attack older, and more skilled pirates." The traitor said.

"Huh? There was that sound again. Did you hear it, Luffy?" Ace smirked when the traitor sighed in annoyance.

"I don't have the patience for this. You feed him, Luffy." The traitor handed Luffy the plate of pancakes, and walked to the end of the boat. Luffy looked at the pancakes, then at Ace, then the pancakes again. Ace knew what he was thinking.

"Don't eat them, Luffy. They were made by evil hands."

"No they weren't! Thatch made them, and Thatch isn't evil!"

"Yes, he is. I don't know what their plan is yet, but they must be up to no good."

"Why's that?" Luffy asked and took a bite of pancake.

"Luffy, spit that out! It's poison!" Ace yelled.

"But it's good!" Luffy said around his bite.

"I don't care! Spit it out now!" Ace yelled, and Luffy swallowed. There was a silent pause. Ace couldn't believe Luffy would be so stupid. On second thought, yes he could. Luffy would eat anything in front of him! No, the fault lied on the traitor for leaving it in front of Luffy. Ace glared at the traitor who had his back turned. Luffy took another bite.

"STOP EATING IT, LUFFY!"

"BUT I'M HUNGRY!" Luffy took another bite.

"YOU DUMBASS! THEY COULD BE POISONED!"

"BUT THEY AREN'T! ME AND SABO ATE A BUNCH EARLIER, AND WE'RE STILL ALIVE!" Luffy took several more bites, completely stuffing his cheeks.

"SABO, YOU TRAITOR!" Ace yelled at the traitor who turned at the sound of his name.

"LUFFY, THOSE PANCAKES ARE FOR ACE!" Sabo ran to stop Luffy, but it was too late. He already ate them all. Luffy sighed in satisfaction, and the traitor punched him in the head.

"I should have known better than to leave a full plate of food in front of Luffy." The traitor pinched the bridge of his nose, and Ace kicked him in the shin. Hard!

"WHAT THE HELL, ACE?!" the traitor rubbed his aching shin.

"That's for poisoning our little brother, you jackass!" Ace growled.

"The pancakes aren't poisoned!" the traitor said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, you would say that. Traitor!"

"Would you stop calling me that?! I am not a traitor!"

"Then why did you take _their_ side?!" Ace nodded to the other ship to gesture who he was talking about.

"I didn't. I only stopped you because attacking stronger, and much more skilled opponents is suicide!"

"I don't care how strong they are! They crossed the line, and they need to be taught a lesson!"

"Okay, I agree that they crossed a line. They absolutely had no business following us, especially the way they did. But, that doesn't mean we should attack them like you did! If they fought us seriously, we would all be dead! Can't you get that through your thick skull?!"

Ace fell silent. Okay, so maybe he had a point, but that didn't make him any less of a traitor! A true friend would back him up in the fight until one side was victorious. A true friend wouldn't chain him to a mast, and feed their brother poisoned food. Unless it really wasn't poisoned…

Shut up! Of course it was! Sabo was wrong and that was that!

"Whatever." Ace turned away to show that he was done with the conversation.

Sabo sighed and said, "You're too stubborn for your own good sometimes."

Sabo walked back to the end of the boat, leaving Luffy with him. Luffy looked at him and smiled. Ace just glared at the horizon.

"Don't worry, Ace. They're good people. They won't hurt us." Luffy smiled and walked over to Sabo before Ace could say anything.

Ace looked at the backs of his two brothers. Luffy was naïve. He could be tricked so easily it wasn't even funny. He was also the weakest of the three. That's why he needed protecting the most. He could be overpowered and outsmarted in a heartbeat. He could understand him being tricked so easily. He just didn't understand Sabo.

Sabo was easily the smartest of the three. He had a proper education from the years he was a noble. If they needed to plan something out, he was the one they went to. He was also the one with the most common sense. So why did he get tricked by these guys so easily? Ace just assumed that he switched sides all of a sudden. But the more he cooled down, the more he realized how unlikely that was.

Ace shook his head. He was falling into their trap. They wanted him to let his guard down, and then they'd strike! Sabo was a traitor, and convinced unsuspecting Luffy to be on the opposing side! He couldn't let himself be fooled! Why should he even trust these guys?

" _Because Luffy said they're good people."_

Sabo's words from the last island popped into his head. Back when they convinced him to accept a free meal.

" _If you paid attention in the past, you would've noticed that Luffy is unusually perceptive of others. He can tell better than anyone else I've met who is good and who is bad. And Luffy seems to like these guys."_

Sabo's words rang in his head. Yeah, it was true that Luffy was good at reading people. He was better at it than anyone. Hell! He even tried to talk Ace out of accepting Bluejam's offer, but he ignored him. Luffy may be easy to fool, but he always knew what people were really like just by looking at them.

Ace glared at the two grown pirates who seemed to be discussing something. Ace didn't like these guys. Not in the slightest! If he had it his way, they would've been long gone. But, for some unknown reason, Luffy liked them. Luffy saw something in them Ace couldn't, and Sabo trusted that judgement wholeheartedly.

What was he thinking?! Luffy was an idiot, and Sabo was an even bigger idiot for believing him! These guys want to take advantage of stupid, naïve kids! Ace wasn't going to let them harm his brothers in the slightest!

Ace felt doubt prickle in the back of his mind as he tried to reassure himself that he was right, and the others were wrong. He just wasn't as confident about his conviction as he was an hour ago.

He decided to watch these guys and see what they were really like. If they made even one wrong move, they were dead! He would personally see to it!

XxXxXxXxX

"Come on, Ace! Eat something!" Sabo practically begged Ace to eat, and Ace ignored him.

He had been vigilantly watching the two Whitebeard pirates for several hours. They did nothing more that hang around the deck of their ship. The only exception would be Thatch going to prepare lunch. They decided to eat their meals outside to keep Ace company. Ace only saw this as an opportunity to study them further.

He ignored everyone who tried to talk to him save for the grown pirates. And he was exceptionally cold when talking to them. He refused to eat their food, although it didn't seem to be poisoned. He wouldn't take that chance.

"You know, kid, starving yourself isn't going to make things better for you. If anything, you'd be more miserable because of your empty stomach." Thatch said from the table they moved outside.

"Why do you care?!" Ace snapped at the guy.

"Because I don't like to see someone hungry, especially a kid."

"Yeah right! Admit it, you're just trying to fatten us up so you can cook and eat us!" Ace had been accusing them of various things every time they tried to talk to him. He wanted to figure out their plan, and this was the best he could do while tied up.

"Would you stop it with these dumb accusations, Ace? They don't want to eat us!" Sabo yelled, and Ace ignored him. He only glared at Thatch who looked disgusted at the thought of eating another human being. So they don't want to eat them. Or it could be an act to throw him off guard! Well, Ace wasn't going to fall for it!

"Would you cut it out?!" Sabo yelled and punched Ace on the side of his head. Ace tore his gaze from his targets to glare at Sabo.

"What was that for?!"

"Because you're being a moron! They don't want to eat us! They don't want to sell us! And they aren't aliens trying to kidnap us, and take us to their mothership! Now, would you stop this dumb charade and eat already?!" Sabo held a fork full of mashed potatoes to his face.

"I'm not hungry." Ace said, and shifted his glare back toward the Whitebeard pirates.

"And I'm the King of Alabasta. Just eat!" Sabo said with an eye roll.

Ace said nothing. He just glared at the pirates. They did nothing more than look back at him while eating. The food did smell good, and he was absolutely starving. But he would rather starve to death than accept a crumb of food from these guys. His stomach growled in protest.

"See! You _are_ hungry! Just swallow your damn pride and eat already!"

"But Ace would choke if he swallowed his pride!" Luffy yelled from the table on the other boat. This cause Sabo to chuckle, and Ace to glare at his youngest brother.

"Fair enough, Luffy." Sabo smiled.

"Luffy, you're dead once I get out of this thing!"

"Look, Ace, even Luffy can see that you're being stubborn over nothing. Just eat the food." Sabo held the plate underneath Ace's nose so he could get a good whiff of the tasty smelling food. His mouth watered, and his stomach growled again. He hated how his body betrayed him so easily.

"No!" Ace turned his head away, but Sabo shifted the plate under his nose again. He turned his head the other way, but Sabo moved the plate again. Ace kept moving his face, and Sabo kept moving the plate.

Luffy suddenly stood from the table, catching everyone's attention. They all watched as he jumped off the railing, and landed on the boat. He plopped himself down next to Ace, and looked at him in the eye.

"Are you okay, Luffy? You didn't finish eating." Marco asked.

"I'm not gonna eat until Ace eats." He said while looking Ace dead in the eye. Everyone was silent.

Ace couldn't believe what he was hearing. Luffy didn't want to eat. Bottomless pit, always hungry Luffy didn't want to eat! Ace didn't know how to respond. He just couldn't comprehend the words that came out of his mouth.

"No, Luffy. You need to eat. Go back to the table and finish you meal." Sabo said, and Ace never thought he'd hear anyone say that.

"No. Ace needs to eat too, and until he does, I'm not eating another bite." Luffy looked dead serious about his decision.

Ace was just too stunned to react at all. All he could do was sit there with his mouth open. For crying out loud, Luffy ate Ace's breakfast this morning! Surely, he doesn't have the will power to keep from eating food! Right?

"See, Ace! Now you got Luffy to stop eating! Just eat your meal!" Sabo said more forcefully.

"N-no. He's just bluffing. There's no way Luffy can resist food for too long!" Ace said snapping out of his stupor.

"I'm not taking that chance. You eat your food, now!" Sabo tried to pry open Ace's mouth, but Ace held it shut tight.

Ace wouldn't let them win! He wouldn't eat the food no matter what! He wasn't worried about Luffy. He was Luffy for God's sake! He would cave before sundown!

XxXxXxXxX

It's been two days, and Luffy kept his promise. Everyone was flabbergasted to say the least, but none more so than Ace. Each time he thought Luffy would cave, and eat something, he would surprise him and hold fast. They tried everything to get him to eat. They even went as far as to leave a plate of food right in front of him. But all he did was sit next to Ace, and say nothing. Luffy was determined to keep his word.

Ace heard Luffy's stomach give a loud growl, and he felt the guilt in his stomach get heavier. Here Luffy was starving, because Ace refused to free him. If he ate something, the Luffy would go back to the hungry little brother he came to know and love. But the thought of caving only made him angry. It was a matter of seeing whether his anger or his guilt would win in the end. Right now it was a tie, but guilt was quickly winning over. Ace absolutely hated it. Luffy's stomach growled again, and that was the final straw.

"Alright." Ace growled.

"Did you say something, Ace?" Luffy asked. The poor kid sounded miserable.

"Alright, I'll eat something. Just please stop starving yourself, Luffy." Ace said a bit louder.

"Nu-uh!" Luffy shook his head.

"What do you mean 'nu-uh'?! You said you would eat if I ate something!"

"Yup! I won't eat my meal until you eat yours first!" Luffy said sounding happier at the thought of eating again.

"Is Ace finally going to eat something?" Sabo asked from across the boat.

"Yup! Get Thatchy! We're going to eat lunch!" Luffy jumped up and down.

Sabo quickly climbed up to the ship and ran into the kitchen to let Thatch know, and Ace instantly regretted his decision. He was about to tell Luffy he changed his mind, when he saw that bright smile. That same smile that was missing for two whole days. Ace never thought he'd miss that smile, but he did. Ace swallowed his pride, and kept telling himself he was doing this for Luffy.

It wasn't long before Sabo came back with a large plate full of food. The Whitebeard pirates came out to watch. Ace glared at them.

"All I'm doing is eating a plate of food! Do I really need an audience for that?!" Ace yelled.

"Yes." Everyone deadpanned, and Ace growled profanities under his breath which caused Luffy to laugh.

"You need to eat the whole plate." Sabo said before spearing a piece of beef and bringing it to Ace's face.

"No! I said I would eat! I didn't said I'd eat the whole plate!" Ace argued.

"Ace eats the whole plate, or I won't eat anything!" Luffy said giving Ace a serious look. Ace hated it when Luffy got serious. It was so un-Luffy. Ace growled more profanities, and accepted the bite of food.

His mouth instantly exploded with flavor. The meat was tender, and well-seasoned. It practically melted in his mouth. Thatch apparently knew what he was doing when it came to food. He didn't show any of his delight, though. If anything his glare deepened.

"Well, what do you think? Amazing, right?" Thatch asked from the ship. Ace refused to let the guy know how much he actually like his cooking.

"It's crap." He deadpanned.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, BRAT?!" Thatch yelled and Marco grabbed him.

"I KNEW IT! YOU WERE JUST LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE TO ATTCK US!" Ace yelled, and Sabo hit him on the side of the head.

"HE REACTED THAT WAY BECAUSE YOU INSULTED HIS COOKING!" Sabo speared another piece of meat, and shoved it in Ace's face.

Ace glared at Sabo for half a minute before eating the next bite. The second bite was just as tasty as the first. And like the first time, he didn't let any positive emotions show. The rest of the meal was silent, with both Ace and Thatch fuming. Ace because they managed to get him to eat a whole plate of food, and Thatch because his cooking was insulted.

"Yay! Ace ate everything!" Luffy cheered, and then rocketed himself over to the other ship and knocked Thatch over.

"I'M HUNGRY!" Luffy all but shouted in his ear.

"Glad to see you're still as hungry as ever." Thatch patted Luffy's head, and Luffy smiled. Thatch and Luffy went into the kitchen, and Ace glared ahead.

"See, was that so hard?" Sabo asked, and set the empty plate down.

Ace didn't answer, but Sabo didn't seem to mind. He was just so angry with himself. How could he let Luffy manipulate him like that?! Well, he ate a meal. That should satisfy Luffy. He wouldn't eat any more of their food. He still needed to figure out their plan, and the whole Luffy not eating thing threw him off focus. He stared at the ship. He would find out their motive, he staked his life on it.


	10. Meeting the Mosshead

**Here it is! Sorry about the small delay in getting it up. I'm not too skilled in writing fight scenes, so I rewrote the end of this chapter quite a lot. I'm still not 100% satisfied with it, but you guys waited long enough. If you have any pointers on writing a fight scene please feel free to share them with me. Thank you for your patience.**

 **Update! I updated this chapter's fight scenes. I wasn't satisfied enough with the fight scenes I had, but thanks to the help I got from Talon of soaring Eagle I redid it! I'm much happier with this outcome than I was with the other. And don't worry, chapter eleven will be out soon! I hope you all enjoy!**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

"Now remember, no attacking the other pirates." Sabo said sternly.

"I heard you the first hundred time! Unchain me already!" Ace yelled. Marco didn't really blame him. The poor kid had been promised to be let loose today, and Sabo spent the whole morning going over rules he had to follow. Most of them stated that he wasn't to attack him and Thatch.

"I'm just making sure you understand." Sabo said finally unlocking the chains, and Ace was instantly working to free himself. It was finally done with Sabo's help, and Ace stood up for the first time in days.

Ace stretch his arms upward, and arched his back. Marco heard his spine and shoulders give several loud pops. That wasn't surprising since he spent most of the week sitting in the same position. His muscles must've been so stiff. After his initial stretch, Ace did several smaller stretches to wake up his muscles and pop more joints.

The reason for Ace's freedom was a large dot on the horizon in front of them. One look through the spyglass proved it to be the next island. The timing of it couldn't have been better. The three brats were quickly depleting their food stock.

Ace was pretty much forced to eat due to Luffy threatening to go on another hunger strike each time he refused to eat. It became a daily occurrence for everyone to watch Sabo feed Ace his meal before eating their own meals. Something Ace absolutely hated, and he made sure to let everyone know exactly what he thought of it. Thatch learned to not ask Ace about his cooking after the third time he got insulted.

"Ace! What are you doing with that?!" Sabo's yell brought Marco out of his thoughts.

He looked down and saw Ace glaring up at him. Thatch was in the kitchen making lunch, so he got escape Ace's scrutiny. In his hand was one of the pipes they carried around. He didn't make any move to attack, nor did he seem like he would. He just stood there with that ever present scowl.

"Didn't you hear me when I told you not to attack?!" Sabo stood in front of Ace.

"Relax. I'm only standing guard." Ace said never once letting his eyes stray from Marco. Sabo stared at him for a few seconds before sighing in defeat.

"Fine. Just don't jump off the deep end like you usually do." Sabo said and moved to the side. Ace just continued to stand guard.

"Saaaaabooooo! When will we reach the island?!" Luffy whined from the front of the small boat.

"Calm down, Luffy. It'll be a while before we get there." Sabo reassured his fidgeting brother.

"We should reach it late tonight if we keep sailing." Marco said, and Luffy whined.

"But that's a looooooooong time from now!" Luffy flopped onto his back, and gazed at the clouds.

"We should get as close as we can before sundown, and stop for the night. That way, we'll have all day tomorrow to explore the island." Sabo said and Luffy groaned at the thought of waiting even longer before going on his next adventure.

"But I wanna go there NOOOOOOWWWW!" Luffy rolled around on their small boat, and Sabo sighed in annoyance. Marco's heart went out to him. After all, he understood what it was like to be the only sensible one on a crew full of idiots.

"How about we play a game?" Sabo suggested.

"No! I wanna go to the island!" Luffy demanded.

"Then how about we eat? It's almost Lunch time after all!" Sabo appeared to be scraping the bottom of the barrel for a distraction.

"But Thatchy is still cooking, and he won't let me back in the kitchen after I ate all the ingredients for dinner last night!" Luffy seemed even more depressed.

Marco remembered that fiasco. Thatch was furious, and then Ace got furious at Thatch for yelling at his little brother. Then the two got into a shouting match. It took all of Marco's and Sabo's will power to not beat their brothers senseless. Everyone calmed down eventually, and Luffy was punished with no dinner, and was banned from the kitchen. Needless to say, tensions were high.

"I know you're bored, and want to explore the island, but the boat can only go so fast. I know you hate to hear this, but you have to be patient." Sabo said.

Luffy groaned loudly, and Thatch walked out of the kitchen with Ace's plate.

"The brat's food is ready." Thatch said with little enthusiasm. Marco knew he was still trying to get over the fact that someone hated his cooking. It really hurt a chef's pride when their hard work gets insulted.

"Alright. Time to eat, Ace." Sabo said and climbed up the side of the ship to grab the plate. He climbed back down after fetching the food, and held it out to his brother. Ace made no movement to grab it.

"Ace, we've been over this. Luffy refuses to eat unless you do. You're no longer chained so you can feed yourself now." Sabo sounded tired.

"We're close enough to the island. Luffy and I won't starve to death before we reach it." Ace stated calmly. Marco was surprised at how calm he was acting. He mostly knew Ace to be a violent hot head. Who knew he could actually talk instead of yelling.

"Thatch worked hard to make this plate for you! Are you just going to waste it?" Sabo asked.

"They can eat all they want, but I'm not eating anymore of this crap. After all, isn't a chef supposed to make things taste good?" Ace answered in the same calm manner. Marco sighed inwardly. Ace only traded his angry outburst for calm jabs at the chef's pride.

"What did you say, brat?!" Thatch yelled.

"I'm sorry, I should know better than to call you a chef. A chef knows how to cook a halfway decent meal."

"But Thatch is a good chef, Ace! His food tastes amazing!" Luffy put his two cents into the conversation.

"See?! Your brother knows quality food when he tastes it! You just can't admit that I'm a good chef!"

"Luffy? Knowing quality food? You could put a plate of dirt in front of him, and he'd think it was the best thing in the world. I wouldn't trust his judgement of food if I were you." Ace said.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Ace does have a point, for once. Luffy thinks all food is good. We once gave him some burnt cheese with dirty dish water to wash it down, and he thought it was great." Sabo said, and Marco lost his appetite.

"No way! Did he get sick?!" Thatch went from annoyed to impressed in a matter of seconds.

"Eh? Why would I get sick?" Luffy tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Because it's nasty." Marco said trying to keep the nausea out of his voice.

"No it wasn't! It was great!" Luffy defended the vomit inducing combination, and Sabo gestured to Luffy as if to say "See?!"

"Okay, so you do have _one_ point. But that doesn't mean I'm a crappy chef!" Thatch went back to annoyed in a heartbeat, and Marco face palmed. Sure his ego was bruised some, but did he even realize that he was arguing with a bunch of kids?

"If you aren't a crappy chef, then why is your food crappy?" Ace asked in fake innocence.

"MY FOOD ISN'T CRAPPY!" Thatch looked like he was about to pounce on the kid so Marco grabbed him around the torso just in case he did try to attack.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that." Ace said and casually picked his nose. Thatch was ready to jump when he stopped himself, and took a deep breath.

"Did I really just let a ten year old antagonize me that much?" He asked and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Marco let go and said, "Yeah. I was concerned that you and Ace suddenly switched personalities or something."

"Nah, Ace just knows he'll get chained up if he loses his temper again." Luffy said and earned himself a bonk on the head.

"At least we'll be arriving on the island tomorrow." Sabo said.

"Yeah. That island is a Godsend after the last week." Marco pointed out.

"You said it." Thatch agreed and went back into the kitchen.

"Are you sure you won't eat it, Ace?" Sabo asked holding the plate of food to his brother.

"Positive. We'll be able to hunt on this island, right? We'll catch our own food, so we won't have to rely on these guys anymore." Ace said and Sabo shook his head.

"It looks like Thatch made this plate for nothing." Sabo said, and climbed back onto the ship. He handed the plate to Marco, and jumped back down to join his brothers.

Marco looked at the full plate and was grateful that Thatch didn't cook the other meals until after Ace ate. Now the food wouldn't go to waste. He decided to eat it since the brats weren't going to, and Thatch can just cook his own.

Marco looked at the island slowly getting bigger as they got closer. He and Thatch needed to restock their ship, so the brats had to go unsupervised for a while. He thought it was a good idea. They were obviously sick and tired of them hanging over their shoulder. They needed some breathing room, and Marco would let them have it. After all, how much trouble could they possibly get into in the East Blue?

XxXxXxXxX

The sun rose gently over the horizon. The sky was painted in beautiful pink and orange hues only to be perfectly reflected by the ocean. Not a cloud interrupted the beautiful rainbow that was the sky. What could possibly ruin such a peaceful and pleasant morning?

"Guys! Wake up! It's morning! Let's go to the island now!" Luffy yelled interrupting Sabo's thoughts.

"Wha?" Ace asked sleepily only to be fully woken up by little rubber idiot bouncing on him.

"Get off me, Luffy!" Ace yelled as he swung his pipe at Luffy.

"We have to get going! The island is right there!" Luffy pointed to the fairly large island that was no more than one hundred yards away.

"Alright! Alright! I'm unfurling the sail right now!" Sabo laughed and untied the sail. It opened up and the boat picked up speed.

"Yay!" Luffy cheered and ran to the front of the boat. Ace grumbled about annoying little brothers and rubbed his abdomen where Luffy jumped on him.

Sabo smiled, and felt truly refreshed. After a week of stress from trying to keep Ace in check, Sabo felt like an island adventure was just what he needed.

Although, he would be lying if he said he didn't hold any resentment toward the Whitebeard pirates. He could see where they were coming from, but his week would have been so much smoother had they not meddled. Which was why he felt his annoyance flare up when the ship started to move with them.

"Morning, brats. Excited to get to the island?" Thatch asked, and Sabo tried his best not to look irritated. Ace, however, had no qualms showing his annoyance.

"Yeah! It's been soooooo long since we've been on an island!" Luffy turned to face Thatch better.

"Well, you three will get to be alone for a while after we dock. Marco and I need to restock our supplies." Thatch said, and Sabo felt his irritation melt away.

After a week of being under needless adult supervision, they would be free. One look at Ace showed that he felt the same way. Once they were alone, and had eaten their fill, Sabo would come up with a plan to lose them. He didn't want another voyage like the one they just had. Luffy would whine, but it was a small price to pay to regain their privacy.

Luffy mindlessly chattered to Thatch about all the things he wanted to do on the island, and Sabo tuned them out. He decided to study the island. There was a dock over to the right slightly. The dock led to a village, and in the center appeared to be a large dojo of sorts. He guessed that that was the famous Isshin Dojo.

He remembered reading up on dojo's back when he was a noble. He found swordsmanship fascinating at the time. He had asked his father about sword lessons, and he turned him down immediately. Swordsmanship was for barbarians who barely knew how to use utensils, and he was born better than any barbarian. That's what he was told, and he didn't argue at the time despite how he felt about the statement. He really hated how stuck up those nobles were. Now, he had no interest in learning how to use a sword, but he figured it would be nice to check it out.

His only concern was Luffy. He and trouble were practically conjoined at the hip. No matter what precautions they took, no matter how many times they warn him, he always causes trouble in one way or another. He looked at his little brother happily chatting away about who know what. One could only hope that he didn't get into _too_ much trouble. One could only hope…

"WE'RE HERE!" Luffy's yell pulled Sabo out of his thoughts. He looked at the island and realized that the docks were right in front of them. Sabo felt a smile spread across his face.

"Alright! Let's tie up the boat, and start hunting!" Sabo said as he tied the sail back up. Luffy looked ready to run off, but Ace grabbed him by the collar.

"Hold on! You got shot the last time you ran off to an island. This time we go together." Ace said and handed Luffy his pipe.

"There are animals to hunt here, right?!" Luffy asked Sabo as he jumped up and down excitedly.

"Yes, Luffy. The forests on this island are fairly large. We should have no trouble finding a meal or two." Sabo said and tied the boat to the dock. He grabbed his own pipe and nodded to Ace.

"Let's go catch us a proper meal!" Ace said and Luffy and Sabo cheered.

The three of them ran off. The Whitebeard pirates yelled something as they left, but Sabo ignored them. He was just happy to have solid ground under his feet again.

The trio ran into the forest and immediately began their hunt. It wasn't long before Ace spotted bear tracks. The tracks led all around the forest until they spotted a large mound of brown fur in a small clearing. The three of them hid behind a bush. Sabo wasn't really impressed with the size of the bear. Sure it was big, but the bears on Dawn Island were mush bigger.

"Okay, Luffy, you be the distraction. Sabo and I will sneak up behind it, and attack." Ace said quietly.

"Why do I have to be the bait?!" Luffy whined loudly. Ace and Sabo covered his mouth, but the damage had already been done. The bear turned to their direction, and growled.

"Okay, plan B. Attack!" Ace yelled and charged out to the bear. Luffy and Sabo ran after him.

The bear roared angrily, and swatted at Ace. Ace dodged, and ran up the bear's arm. He swung at the head, but the bear caught the pipe in his mouth.

"Hey! Let go, you stupid bear!" Ace struggled to get the pipe out of the bear's mouth. The bear raised its other arm to attack.

"Ace!" Sabo yelled, and hit the bear's elbow with the end of his pipe.

The bear roared again, and freed Ace's pipe in the process. Ace tumbled to the ground, but got back on his feet in an instant. The bear swatted at them, and they jumped back to avoid the large paw. Luffy ran forward, and hit the bear on his shoulder. The bear backhanded Luffy into a tree. Luffy hit the tree, but was unfazed. That rubber power of his really did come in handy.

"I'm okay." Luffy said and brushed off some dirt.

Ace growled, and ran forward. The bear focused on Ace, so Sabo ran behind it. Sabo jumped on its back, and hit the bear in the back of the head as hard as he could. The bear stood on its hind legs, and roared loudly. Sabo jumped back as the bear swiveled around, and attacked without going back to all fours. Now it was pissed.

The bear tried to squish Sabo, but he ran to the side, and barely avoided being hit. Sabo charged forward and struck a hard blow on the bear's side while it was getting up. The bear turned and swatted at Sabo. Sabo blocked the large paw with his pipe, but was pushed back several feet.

Ace and Luffy ran from behind Sabo and jumped over him, and stuck the bear in the face. The clearing was filled with a loud crunching sound, and the bear staggered back a bit. It fell to it's haunches and shook its head, as if trying to clear its vision. Ace took the opportunity, and gave one last blow to thee back of its head. There was another crunching sound, and the bear fell forward. It didn't move again.

"We did it!" Luffy cheered.

"Yes, you did." Said an unknown voice. Ace ran to his brothers' side, and glared at the newcomer.

He was a kid, somewhere between the Ages of Ace and Luffy. He had a head of green hair, and he carried two wooden swords and one real sword on his hip. He seemed impressed that the three of them took on a bear all by themselves.

"Is that a real sword?!" Luffy asked in excitement.

"Yes, it is." The kid answered, and Luffy had stars in his eyes.

"So you're from the dojo!" Luffy said and practically vibrated in his enthusiasm.

"Yeah."

"AWESOME! Will you join my crew?!" Luffy asked, and both Sabo and Ace smacked him upside the head.

"Would you stop asking random people to join your crew?! It's bad enough you convinced that orange haired witch to join you!" Ace yelled.

"Nami isn't a witch! She's my navigator!" Luffy yelled right back.

"So, why are you here, kid?" Sabo asked, and the kid looked annoyed.

"I'm not a kid! My name is Zoro, and I want to challenge you to a duel." Zoro said.

"A duel, huh?" Ace said, and cracked his knuckles in anticipation. Sabo shook his head at Ace's eagerness to get into a fight with practically everyone they met.

"Why do you want to duel us?" Sabo asked.

"You're obviously strong. I want to test my swordsman skills against worthy opponents. If you can take down a bear by yourselves, you can take me on." Zoro smirked, and Ace smirked right back.

"Alright. But don't cry home to your mom when you lose." Ace said, and grabbed his pipe.

"I don't lose." Zoro said, and unsheathed the real sword. He placed it in his mouth of all things, after making sure the back of the blade was facing them, it was only a spar after all, and grabbed the other two. He had a wooden sword in each hand, and all three of them looked at him weirdly.

"What are you doing?" Ace finally asked.

"I use Santoryu. The three sword style." Zoro explained. His words were somewhat muffled by the sword in his mouth.

"You look ridiculous." Ace deadpanned.

"No he doesn't! He looks awesome!" Luffy defended.

"Yes, Luffy, he does. Who in their right mind would-" Ace was cut off when Zoro suddenly attacked. Ace managed to dodge one sword and block another, but he was hit by the third.

"Shut up, and let our fight do the talking." Zoro said, and Ace rubbed the shoulder that got hit. Ace smirked and got into a fighting position.

"Fine, have it your way." Ace said, and the two had a stare down.

Despite how weird Zoro looked, he was obviously skilled and powerful. Ace was also pretty skilled, and could probably take this kid on all by himself. Sabo sighed and sat on the sidelines with Luffy.

The two sides launched at each other. Zoro attacked mercilessly, and Ace was able to block most of the hits. They were at a stalemate for a good minute before they both realized they weren't getting anywhere like that. Zoro jumped back, and Ace rushed forward with his own attack. Zoro blocked it, but was pushed against a tree. Ace ran forward and attacked again, but Zoro ducked just in time. The force of the blow caused the tree to topple over.

"Are you sparring him, or trying to kill him?!" Sabo yelled.

Ace turned to respond to Sabo's question, but Zoro used Ace's distraction to his advantage. Zoro got a few good hits in, before Ace forced him back. Zoro stood a good distance away from Ace, and they stared down each other. Zoro gave a vicious smirk.

"You're tougher than I thought. It looks like I finally get to test out my new move." Zoro said with a smirk.

"New move?" Ace questioned dryly. Sabo face palmed. From the tone of Ace's voice, it was obvious that he was underestimating Zoro. Sure he could beat Zoro, but not if he misjudged the strength of the young swordsman.

"I've been looking for a worthy opponent to test it out on." Zoro said, and crossed his arms. The sword in his mouth crossed the sword on the right, and the real blade was behind the wooden blade. Ace looked unimpressed.

"Three sword style: Oni-" Zoro rushed forward so fast that Sabo barely even saw him. The wooden swords knocked the pipe out of Ace's hands, and the back of the real blade hit him with such force that he landed on his back.

"Giri!" Zoro finished. Ace laid on his back with a stunned look on his face, and Sabo shoo his head. He wasn't really surprised by this outcome. Zoro pointed the tip of one of his wooden swords at Ace.

"Checkmate." Zoro said in a victorious tone.

Ace growled, and kicked the wooden sword out of Zoro's hand. Zoro's eyes widened in surprise, as Ace caught it in mid-air. Ace immediately swung at Zoro, who blocked it with the other wooden sword. Ace got to his feet, and Zoro grabbed the sword out of his mouth to fight with two swords. He wasn't as powerful with two blades, but Sabo could tell he had more practice with two blades than he did with three.

The two swung at each other viciously. Each swing was more powerful than the last. Finally they met the two wooden swords with such force that they splintered and broke. They stared at the broken swords for a few seconds before tossing them aside.

"Ace, catch!" Sabo threw Ace his pipe.

Ace caught it, and the two continued to fight. Zoro was nowhere near as skilled with one blade as he was with two. Ace quickly got the upper hand, and managed to knock the sword out of Zoro's hand. The sword landed pretty far away with the tip of the blade shoved in the ground. Ace swung at Zoro, who dodged it, and started to run for his sword. Ace ran forward, and attempted to catch up to Zoro when he suddenly stopped with a pained look on his face.

"What's wrong, Ace?" Sabo called out, genuinely concerned that something was wrong.

"Cramp!" Ace yelled and toppled over, and Sabo sighed in annoyed relief. Ace had been sitting in one position for several days. It was only logical that his muscles would cry out in protest to being suddenly used so violently. Zoro grabbed his sword, and gave Ace an unreadable expression.

"You're in no condition to keep fighting. We'll have a rematch tomorrow. Same time, same place." Zoro said and walked off.

"Come back here, you bastard! I'm not done, yet!" Ace tried to get up, but he cried out in pain and fell back over.

"Give it up, Ace. Zoro's right, you can't fight like this." Sabo sat next to Ace.

"Whose side are you on?! I can't let this fight just end! I have to finish it!" Ace started to crawl forward.

Sabo stopped him and said,"The only way this fight can continue is if you get rid of those cramps."

"Not until I win!"

"Ace, he's already gone! You'll get a chance to fight him tomorrow!"

Ace didn't say anything. He just glared at the spot where Zoro disappeared. Sabo rolled his eyes at Ace's stubbornness.

"C'mon Luffy, lets… Luffy?" Sabo asked, and looked around the clearing. Luffy was nowhere to be seen.

"Dammit! Not again!" Ace yelled once he realized the rubber idiot was missing again.

"He probably followed Zoro. He did want him to join his crew after all." Sabo said.

"He said he came from the dojo, didn't he?"

"Yeah, they're probably on their way over right now."

"When I find him, I'll kick his rubber ass from here to the moon." Ace said, and started to get up.

"You stay here. I'll go get him." Sabo said, but Ace got to his feet and gave Sabo a challenging look.

"Fine! You can come. Just hurry." Sabo relented and the two headed toward the village.


	11. Directionally Challenged

_**IMPORTANT! READ THIS FIRST!**_

 **For those of you who don't know, I rewrote the ending of the last chapter. There are changes that affect this chapter, so please read that first if you haven't done so. Otherwise you'll be confused.**

 **Special thanks to Talon of soaring Eagle for helping me with the changes last chapter.**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

"That was awesome!"

"Will you stop following me?"

"Hey, join my crew!"

"No!"

"Why not?!"

"Because I said so!"

"That's not a good enough reason!"

"I don't care!" Zoro yelled over his shoulder and Luffy pouted.

Luffy had followed Zoro in the hopes of getting him to join his crew, but Zoro didn't want to join. Luffy had already decided that Zoro was going to be his swordsman, though, and he would make sure that happened. Even if he had to follow the guy around until he agreed.

They walked in an uncomfortable silence. Luffy was never more than ten steps behind Zoro. They walked until they came across a small clearing with a dead bear in the middle.

"Weren't we just here?" Luffy asked. The bear in the middle looked like the bear he and his brothers killed.

"That's weird. The village is supposed to be here. Don't tell me it moved again." Zoro said to himself.

"Whoa! The village moves?!" Luffy asked excitedly. He had never been to an island where villages moved around. This was a cool island.

"Yeah, things move around a lot on this island. Trees, boulders, caves, the village…" Zoro listed with his fingers.

"That's so cool! Can clearings move too?!" Luffy looked around in awe.

"Yeah, like everything else, clearings move. It makes things confusing, but I eventually find my way back." Zoro said, and walked in a random direction. Luffy followed close behind.

"Awesome! I've never been on an island like this! How often do things move?" Luffy wanted to know as much about this place as possible.

"Things move around all the time." Zoro said as they entered a small clearing with a dead bear in the center.

"Hey! Another clearing with a dead bear!" Luffy pointed out.

"No. It's the same place. It just moved again." Zoro sounded more frustrated than before, and walked off in another direction.

They walked a little ways. Luffy looked around to see if any of the trees would move while he was looking at them. They didn't, but they looked familiar somehow. Luffy tried to think of why they were familiar, but was distracted when they entered a small clearing with a dead bear in the center.

"I don't believe it! The clearing moved again!" Luffy yelled. How did it keep moving without them noticing?!

"I hate it when it does this." Zoro said, and ran in another direction.

Luffy ran after him. He looked harder to see if anything moved. Nothing moved, but everything looked familiar again. Luffy nearly bumped into Zoro who stopped suddenly when they entered a small clearing with a dead bear in the middle. Zoro grunted in frustration, and ran in another direction. Luffy chased after him.

"This is going to take a while, isn't it?" Luffy asked.

Zoro's lack of response was all the answer he needed.

XxXxXxXxX

"What is this place?" Ace asked as he stretched his arm muscles again. He still had cramps, but they weren't as bad as they were earlier.

He and Sabo were in a fairly large clearing just inside the forest. All around the clearing were broken training dummies, and broken wooden swords. It looked like someone went crazy tearing everything up, and then left in a hurry.

"It looks like some sort of training area. Maybe the student's at the dojo use it?" Sabo suggested, and inspected a nearby headless training dummy.

"They need new equipment if that's true." Ace said and kicked the remains of a wooden sword.

"Hey, look at this!" Sabo gestured for Ace to stand next to him.

Ace walked over. Sabo stood in front of a path that, more than likely, went to the village. But Sabo wasn't pointing to the path, instead he was pointing to a bright red ribbon that was tied to a tree. The ribbon was around their eye level, and practically glowed in the sunlight.

"Why is there a ribbon here?" Ace asked.

"I don't know, but there's another one further down the path." Sabo said.

Ace looked down the path, and sure enough, there was another ribbon tied to another tree in the same fashion as the first. It was just as red, and just as eye catching as the first.

"Why are there ribbons tied to these trees?" Sabo asked as he scratched his head in confusion.

"Maybe they're decorations?" Ace asked.

"Maybe… Hey! There's another one over there!" Sabo pointed to said ribbon.

"Okay, this is freaky." Ace said and walked up to the third ribbon.

"And another ribbon!" Sabo ran to the fourth, which was where the forest ended. The entrance to the village was about ten feet from where they stood.

"Hey, there are two ribbons at the entrance!" Ace pointed out. On either side of the gate that led to the village were the same bright red ribbons they found in the forest. Just like the other four, they were at their eye level.

"I think they lead somewhere." Sabo said.

"Only one way to find out." Ace said and walked through the gate. Sabo followed right behind him.

"But what about, Luffy?" Sabo asked.

"He probably followed the ribbons too. They're hard to not notice, and they're his favorite color. Do you think he'd ignore them?" Ace turned to Sabo.

"Good point." Sabo said.

They wordlessly followed the ribbons throughout the village. They were on buildings, posts, and food stands. All of them were the same bright red color, and all of them were at their eye level. They made a path to the center of the village. The trail ended at the gates of the Isshin Dojo. The gates were covered in the ribbons, which made it very hard to ignore.

"They lead here? But why?" Sabo asked.

"Who cares? We were trying to get here anyways, right? This just made our job easier." Ace said, and walked in.

"Ace! You can't just walk in without being invited first!" Sabo fussed from the outside.

"Hey! We need to find Luffy, and this is the most likely place he'd be! So you can stand out there waiting to be invited, but I'm going to find our little brother." Ace said, and started walking. He walked a few feet before he heard Sabo's footsteps approach from behind.

"I hate it when you're right." Sabo said flatly.

"This place is pretty big. He could be anywhere." Ace said as he looked around.

"Let's split up. We'll cover more ground, and find Luffy faster." Sabo said.

"Good idea. I'll take the main building. You take the courtyard. We'll meet back at the gate once we're done looking." Ace said, and Sabo nodded in understanding.

Ace ran up to the building, and walked in. There was no one inside the room, so Ace looked in another room. It too was empty.

"Luffy! Get your ass out here now!" Ace called out. There was no response. Ace growled, and ran into another room. It was also empty. Ace ran around looking in every room he came across, all the while calling out for his idiotic brother.

He eventually came to a room with an old man in it. He sat with his legs under him, and he was sipping tea from a cup. He wore a pair of glasses, and had his hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"I was wondering when you'd get to this room." The old guy said, and looked at Ace.

"Who are you, and what did you do with my brother?!" Ace yelled, and tightened his grip around his pipe. He ignored the cramp in his forearm starting to flare up again. If this guy did anything to Luffy, there would be nothing to stop him from beating this guy's brains out.

"My name is Koshiro. As for your brother, I never even met him." He said, and took another sip of his tea. Ace felt anger rise in his chest.

"You liar! He's somewhere in this room!" Ace yelled, and started looking around.

"Feel free to look anywhere you wish, but I have never even seen your brother." Koshiro said.

"Yeah right! Cut the act, old man! He followed one of your students here!" Ace's annoyance grew with each second he was stuck with this geezer.

The old man sighed and asked, "Did this student of mine have green hair, and carry three swords?"

"What difference does it make if he did?!" Ace asked.

"You met him in the forest didn't you?" Koshiro asked, and Ace inwardly freaked out. Just who was this old kook? Was he psychic or something?

"How do you know?!" Ace asked in a mixture of anger and panic.

"If your brother followed Zoro, they're more than likely still in the forest." Koshiro set his tea down, and stood up. Ace held his pipe up in a defensive position. Ace didn't trust this guy for anything, and he freaked him out. Not that Ace would ever admit that.

"Zoro has the worst sense of direction of anyone I have ever met, student or otherwise. I led him to the training area just inside the forest to train. On the way there I tied several red ribbons on various landmarks around his eye level, and made sure he saw where they were. This way he could find his way back easier. That was a few days ago. The fact that he hasn't returned yet can only mean that he still managed to get lost." Koshiro finished with a patient sigh. Ace sweat dropped at the thought of someone have worse directional skills than Luffy.

"Do you really think I'm stupid enough to believe that someone is worse at navigation than Luffy?!" Ace demanded. Koshiro didn't answer. He only smiled, and walked toward the door.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Ace yelled.

"To save your brother from my directionally challenged student." He said, and Ace felt his guard go up significantly.

"Why should I believe you?! You could be luring me into a trap for all I know!" Ace held his pipe in a threatening position.

"You can look around here if you want, but the chances of finding him here are little to none." Koshiro said, and walked out of the room.

Ace stood there. The old geezer just gave him permission to look around, but that could be a trap. He could always follow him, but that could also be a trap. What if Luffy really was lost in the forest? If Zoro was really as bad as the old man said, then it was a case of the blind leading the blind. They didn't stand a chance of finding their way out. If that was true, then that means he and Sabo just abandoned Luffy in the forest with the only person who was dumber than he was.

But Luffy could also be stuck here somewhere, and the old man just wanted to lead him away from his baby brother. What if Luffy did make it back, and the old guy tied him up somewhere? What if he was going outside to do the same to Sabo?

In a fit of protectiveness, Ace dashed out of the room and fell over when his calves cramped up again. He growled in anger and pain. His brothers were in trouble, and he couldn't even move!

"Ace?!" Sabo called as he walked into the building.

"Over here, Sabo!" Ace yelled and tried to stand up.

"Who was that guy that walked out? He said he was going to find Luffy." Sabo asked.

"He's Luffy's kidnapper!" Ace yelled, and managed to stand.

"Wait! What?!" Sabo asked bewildered.

"He has Luffy tied up here somewhere!" Ace said and tried to walk off the cramps.

"What makes you say that?" Sabo asked.

"He said that Zoro kid had worse directions than Luffy." Ace said.

"But Luffy has the worst navigation of anyone I've ever met!" Sabo said.

"Exactly! He even said that the ribbons were meant to lead Zoro back here." Ace said, and looked in a room he hadn't checked yet. Sabo had a thoughtful look on his face.

"Wait, Ace. Let's really think about this." Sabo said, and Ace felt annoyed by the blond.

"What's there to think about?! He was lying, and Luffy is tied up around here somewhere! We just have to find him, and kick that guy's ass for messing with our brother!" Ace checked another room, but grunted in frustration when it too was empty.

"But what if he isn't lying?!" Sabo asked, and Ace turned to look at Sabo.

"And what if he is?!" Ace challenged.

"I'm just saying that we need to look at this logically. It's true that he could be lying, but he could also be telling the truth. We need to think of strategies for both possibilities." Sabo said and Ace calmed down some. At least Sabo admitted that Luffy could be around here somewhere.

"Fine. The strategy is: find Luffy, and kick that guy's ass!" Ace said checked another empty room.

"How about one of us follows that guy, while another one stays here to look for Luffy." Sabo suggested, and Ace paused in his search.

"No way."

"Why not?"

"It could be an ambush." Ace said and resumed his search.

"What if we stayed in the shadows so he doesn't see us?" Sabo suggested.

"Yeah, and it'll work as well as it did with the old geezer." Ace said as he walked up a set of stairs. He winced at some cramps that refused to go away.

"You can't compare Garp to everyone. Garp is a marine. He had special training." Sabo said.

"Not to mention that he's crazy." Ace deadpanned.

"Exactly! Look, if it's true that Luffy is out in the forest, and we're here, then who will stop that guy from attacking him?" Sabo asked and Ace stopped. He hadn't thought of that. Worry prickled at his mind, as he thought of that creep attacking his practically defenseless brother. He turned to Sabo, and saw the same worry reflected in his eyes.

"Fine. But if anyone is following that old guy, it's me!" Ace said, and started for the door. He was stopped by Sabo.

"Nu-uh! Your muscles are still spazzing out. Out of the three of us, I'm the only one that could possibly take that guy on." Sabo said, and Ace tried to mask the pain of another cramp flaring up.

"I'm not letting you go alone, then!" Ace said, and Sabo shook his head.

"You couldn't even finish Zoro off earlier. You'd be better off looking for Luffy here, and between me and Luffy, I stand a better chance of fighting him!" Sabo said, and Ace felt angry and helpless. If it weren't for the cramps, he would've left Sabo here a long time ago. He hated it when he couldn't help his brothers. He would've argued further, but Luffy's life was in danger.

"Fine! But you better get back here in one piece!" Ace relented, and looked in a nearby room.

Sabo nodded before he ran back down the stairs to follow that Koshiro guy. If Sabo and Luffy didn't return unscathed, then Ace couldn't be held accountable for his actions.

XxXxXxXxX

"Is it just me, or is the food on this island pricey?" Thatch asked, as he carried a large portion of food on his back.

"It only seems pricey because we're buying enough to feed an army." Marco answered, also carrying a large portion of food.

"It isn't my fault! Those brats eat more than anyone I've ever seen." Thatch argued.

"I'm not saying it is, but do we really need this much? The kids will more than likely bring their own chunk of food."

"Better to have it, and not need it." Thatch shrugged, and Marco rolled his eyes.

They walked a few feet before Marco spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw Sabo somewhat hidden behind a corner, and appeared to be looking for someone. He could sense apprehension, and indecisiveness rolling off of the brat. Marco raised an eyebrow at this. Sabo was easily the most sensible one out of the small trio. It was odd to see him acting like this. Not only that, but the brat was alone. He began to feel concern for the two missing brothers. Did something happen to them already? They were only gone for little over an hour!

Marco stopped, and gestured over to Sabo. Thatch nodded, and they walked over to the blond, who spotted them quickly.

"How's it going, brat?" Thatch asked when they approached.

"It's, uh, going okay. Look, I'm kinda in a hurry, so I'll see you later." Sabo quickly said, and ran off.

Marco and Thatch watched the small pirate disappear into the crowd. Something was definitely up if Sabo was acting that strange. The missing two didn't help matters, either.

"Hey, Thatch, can you-"

"Yeah, I can carry both loads. You follow them to see how much trouble they're in." Thatch said, and took Marco's load. Thatch struggled under the extra weight for a few seconds, before steadying himself.

Marco nodded his thanks, and trailed after the kid, who was heading for the forest. Marco hoped that they didn't get themselves into too much trouble.

XxXxXxXxX

Sabo ducked behind a tree. The dojo guy hadn't noticed his presence so far, which Sabo was eternally grateful for. He had a few close calls, though. He didn't want to fight the guy, but if he had to, then he had to.

Sabo got the feeling that he didn't need to worry about this guy, however. He seemed like a calm, reasonable man. Maybe Ace was jumping to conclusions again. He knew better than to listen to the delusions Ace would dream up about people, but he couldn't take chances with Luffy missing. If this guy was dangerous, and Sabo didn't listen, then it would be like killing Luffy himself. He could never live with himself if that were to happen.

A part of him wished that he had told Marco and Thatch what was happening. They could be a big help if he ended up needing to fight this guy, but this was their battle. He knew he shouldn't rely on anyone other than his brothers to solve their problems. The Whitebeard pirates were no exception.

Sabo dashed to another tree when the old guy got far enough. This had been a repeating pattern for a long time now. He wondered how far they'd go before the dojo guy noticed someone was following him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the smell of something cooking. Sabo briefly wondered what it could be before he remembered the bear he and his brothers killed. He felt a small pang of anger at whoever was cooking it.

The guy walked into the small clearing where the bear was being cooked, and Sabo stayed in the shadows. Luffy and Zoro had made a fire, and were cooking the bear. Sabo was upset that Luffy would eat the bear without him and Ace, but he also knew Luffy could barely contain himself when it came to his stomach.

"There you are. I've been looking all over the forest for you." the guy said, successfully capturing their attention.

"Master Koshiro." Zoro said, and Luffy looked up in excitement

"This is you master?!" Luffy asked while bouncing.

"Yeah." Zoro answered.

"Awesome! Hey, tell Zoro he has to join my crew!" Luffy said, and Sabo resisted the urge to punch him in his rubbery head.

"Will you cut that crap out?! I already told you, I'm not joining!" Zoro yelled, and Luffy pouted.

"But I already decided that you would! So you have to!" Luffy said.

"I'M NOT GOING TO BE YOUR SWORDSMAN!"

"Of course you aren't! You're going to me by swordsman AND first mate!" Luffy said with a big grin.

"YOU CAN'T JUST DECIDE THAT!" Zoro yelled, and Sabo felt bad for him. Once Luffy got you in his sights, he refused to give you up. Hell, he followed Ace every day until he finally caught up to them, and now he was their little brother. That just showed that Luffy usually got what he wanted. Which meant that Luffy would more than likely get Zoro to join his crew. He didn't know how, but Luffy would find a way.

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed, and Zoro fumed.

"You must be Luffy." Koshiro said, and Luffy turned to him.

"Yup! How do you know my name old man?" Luffy ask while picking his nose.

"One of your brothers burst into my dojo looking for you, and the other one followed me here." Koshiro looked directly at Sabo, and he jerked back in surprise. This guy knew Sabo was following him! How did he know? Why didn't he attack if he was being led to an ambush?

Sabo gulped loudly, and cautiously stepped out into the clearing. He remained in a defensive position as he slowly made his way to Luffy.

"Hi, Sabo! Isn't this island cool?!" Luffy asked, and ran up to Sabo.

"Stay behind me, Luffy." Sabo said, never once taking his eyes off of Koshiro.

"You don't have to be afraid of me. I don't intend to harm you or your brothers. And if I did, I think your friend would have something to say about that." Koshiro said, and Sabo wondered what he meant by that.

"So, you could sense me too." Marco said as he stepped into the clearing. Sabo gaped at the man with the unfortunate shaped head. He wasn't really shocked that Marco had followed. No, what shocked him was that Sabo had no idea Marco was even there. Yet, this dojo master could not only sense that he was being followed, but also that his follower was being followed as well.

"Hi, Pineapple Head!" Luffy chirped from his spot behind Sabo, and he heard Zoro snort at the nick name.

"My name is Marco." He said almost sadly.

"I hope you don't mind me asking why a Whitebeard pirate is in the East Blue." Koshiro asked.

"We're just here to keep an eye on these brats." Marco said turning toward the only other adult in the area.

"We?"

"Thatch is here too!" Luffy said, interrupting the conversation.

"Yes, he is. What I'm worried about is their missing brother." Marco said, gesturing to Sabo and Luffy.

"You mean Ace?" Sabo asked.

"The third one is probably at the dojo, still." Koshiro answered.

"No fair! He got to see the dojo without me!" Luffy whined.

"That wouldn't have happened if you didn't run off again!" Sabo yelled, and bonked Luffy on the head. He seriously wondered how his noisy brother always managed to slip away without them noticing.

"But I had to get Zoro to join my crew!" Luffy pouted.

"How many times do I have to tell you?! I'm not joining your dumb crew!" Zoro yelled, and Luffy grinned at him.

"I already made up my mind!" Luffy laughed and Zoro looked ready to bash his skull in. Sabo made sure he was in between the two.

"C'mon, Luffy. We'd better go get Ace before he destroys the dojo looking for you." Sabo encouraged.

"But how are we going to get around if things on the island keep moving?" Luffy asked, and Sabo looked at him confusedly.

"What are you talking about, Lu?" he asked.

"Zoro tried to lead us out of the forest, but this clearing kept moving back in front of us." Luffy explained, and Sabo was more confused than before.

"Things move around on this island, which makes it hard to move around." Zoro said, and Sabo honestly had nothing to say.

Koshiro sighed and said, "Forgive my student. He gets lost easily."

"No, I don't! This island keeps moving around! That's why it's hard to remember where the village is!" Zoro yelled.

"Zoro, I left a trail of bright red ribbons that led back to the dojo. How did you not see them?" Koshiro asked tiredly.

"You must've misplaced the ribbons or something. I didn't see them." Zoro said, and Koshiro gave a defeated sigh.

"Let's just go back to the dojo." Koshiro said while rubbing his temples.

"Can we eat the bear first? I'm hungry!" Luffy asked, and his stomach growled in agreement.

"Fine, but we better save some for Ace." Sabo relented, and sat down next to the cooking bear.

"Yay! I'm starving!" Luffy cheered.

The bear still had some time left to cook. So Sabo and Luffy sat there while Marco, Koshiro, and Zoro headed back toward the village. Luffy started to chat endlessly about his and Zoro's misadventure of making constant loops back to the small clearing. Sabo listened, and shook his head in disbelief. He didn't think it was possible for someone to be worse at navigation than Luffy. If Zoro did end up joining Luffy's crew, then Nami had better be the world's greatest navigator to make up for their poor directional skills.


	12. Brotherly Bonds

**Happy Valentines Day everyone! Sorry about this being a short chapter! The next one will be longer, I promise!**

 **Anyways, I hope you couples out there have fun on Sunday. And if you're single like me, embrace your singleness! Treat yourself to a meal at a fancy** **restaurant! Pay a violinist to play "Bink's Brew" at your table, and finish the day with a One Piece marathon! You don't need a significant other to feel validated on this holiday! Buy yourself a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates! Love yourself if no one else will!**

 **On another note, I hope you enjoy this chapter. And apologies again for it being so short!**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

Marco walked alongside the master of the Isshin Dojo and his student. He was amazed that someone was so directionally incompetent that they thought the island moved. He shook his head slightly. The kid had better not sail off to sea, otherwise he'd never find this island again.

"I can see why the Whitebeard pirates are interested in those three kids." Koshiro said, catching Marco's attention.

"You do?" Marco raised an eyebrow.

"They're young, but they have amazing potential. They're going to be a force to be reckoned with when they grow up." He said and Marco nodded in agreement.

"What? Even that annoying one with the straw hat?" the green haired kid asked in outrage.

"Especially the annoying one with the straw hat. He may be weak now, but give him a few years and he'll start catching up to you in strength." Koshiro explained.

"Okay, the other two, I can see. But, really? That guy?!" he asked in bewilderment.

"Yes, that guy. He's already stronger than most kids, but is very weak when compared to you and his two brothers." Marco explained.

"I don't believe you. There's no way a weakling like that can ever become strong." He said and crossed his arms in defiance. Koshiro stopped, and faced his pupil with an unreadable expression.

"Zoro, your dream is to become the world's greatest swordsman. Is that correct?" he asked.

"Well, yeah. But what does this have to do with-"

"Do you think you can fulfil that dream right now?" Koshiro asked and Zoro looked confused.

"What?"

"Do you think you can beat the current greatest swordsman as you are now?" he asked again.

"Of course not! I still need to get stronger!" Zoro answered.

"So you'd say you were too weak?"

"Yeah."

"And that all you need is time to become stronger?"

"Duh. That's how training works."

"So why is this true for you, and not Luffy?" Koshiro asked, and Zoro opened his mouth to answer. He left it open for a few seconds before closing it. He got a thoughtful look on his face as he tried to think of a reason why Luffy would always be weak.

"It's true that he's small and weak now, but he will become strong in due time. Just like you or anyone else who puts forth time to train." Koshiro said, and turned back to the village.

They walked in silence as Zoro appeared to be lost in thought. Marco kept a close eye on him just in case he strayed off, and got lost again. He did try to veer off a few time, and Marco quickly corrected him. How was it even possible to get lost in a straight line?

"I wonder how the freckled one will react to us returning without his brothers." Koshiro asked, breaking the silence.

"He's not going to be happy, that's for sure." Marco was not looking forward to Ace's short temper. Did that kid ever have a reasonable reaction to anything?

"Are you talking about that freckled kid that hangs around those others we left in the forest?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah." Marco answered.

"He's already at the dojo?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"That's where I last saw him." Koshiro said as they entered the village.

Zoro smirked and said, "He must be eager for our rematch if he's already there."

"Actually, he was looking for his brother." Koshiro said and Zoro lost his smirk.

"Hmph! We're still having our rematch whether he likes it or not." Zoro said and turned left when Koshiro and Marco turned right.

"This way, Zoro." Koshiro said patiently.

"I knew that!" Zoro yelled and went back to following them.

Marco shook his head in disbelief, and continued onward. His thoughts trailed back to Ace. He hoped the brat didn't severely overreact again. But, knowing Ace, he definitely would.

XxXxXxXxX

Ace stayed in the shadows of the courtyard. Luffy was nowhere to be seen, which meant that he was in the forest. That also meant that Sabo had walked into a trap. He berated himself for letting not one, but both of his brothers down. The only thing he could do was lie in wait for that Koshiro guy to show up. He would get answers one way or another.

He stretched properly to prepare for the inevitable battle. His cramps were mostly gone, and he didn't need them to flare up again when he fought the dojo master. He would personally see to it that that guy would pay for messing with his brothers.

He tensed when the gates opened. He got into an attack position, but froze when he saw Marco walk through. He was followed by Koshiro and Zoro. Ace couldn't believe what he was seeing. Oh wait, yes he could. He knew Marco and Thatch weren't to be trusted! He tried to warn Sabo and Luffy about them, but now they could possibly be…

"YOU BASTARDS!" Ace yelled, and blindly dashed forward.

He violently swung his pipe at the closest guy, which happened to be Koshiro, and missed. He kept swinging at the guy when he suddenly grabbed Ace's pipe. Ace struggled to get the pipe out of his grasp.

"LET GO!" Ace yelled and his vision swam. Oh, God! He was crying! He tried to hold back the tears as well as the growing sense of anguish that started to weigh down on his heart.

"WHERE ARE THEY?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM?! ANSWER ME DAMMIT!" Ace yelled as he continued trying to get his pipe out of the dojo master's grasp.

"Calm down. Your brothers are just fine. They're safe and sound in the forest." He said in a clam voice, and Ace's anger grew. He gave up on trying to free his pipe, and attempted to fight with his fists. He wasn't as experienced with fighting bare handed, but all be damned if he went down without a fight!

That's when someone grabbed him from behind, and held him in place. Ace struggled against the strong grip. He attempted to head butt whoever it was that grabbed him. When that didn't work he tried to kick them, but that also was a failure. He continued to struggle, all the while fighting away the urge to cry. He wasn't going to show weakness in front of these guys!

"Listen to him. He's telling the truth. Go and check if you don't believe us." Marco's voice said, and Ace tried harder to kick him where the sun don't shine.

"What's with him?" Asked Zoro from the side, and Ace felt pure hatred rise up for the guy that led Luffy away from him and Sabo. If it wasn't for him, they would still be okay! It was all his fault!

"YOU BASTARD! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Ace gave it his all to get out of Marco's grasp, and to attack the mossheaded idiot.

"What are you talking about?!" Zoro asked in an irritated tone.

"He seems to be beyond reasoning." Koshiro said, and Ace attempted to bite Marco, but he couldn't bend his neck far enough.

"He's very protective about his brothers." Marco said, and Ace would love nothing more than to bash all of their skulls in.

"LET GO OF ME SO I CAN KICK YOUR ASSES!" Ace yelled as he continued to struggle.

"Maybe we should just bring him to them." Koshiro suggested.

Ace's panic only grew. They wanted to rid him like they did Luffy and Sabo! Ace held back a sob as he thought of his brothers again. He vowed silently to them that he would avenge them, even if he had to fight these guys the whole way. And he would!

XxXxXxXxX

Luffy chowed down on his piece of the bear. He and Sabo had split the bear into thirds. One part they would bring to Ace after they ate. Luffy wanted more than what he got, but Sabo said that they could hunt more once they reunited with Ace. Luffy was excited to be hunting again. Sure, it was nice having someone cook for you, but he had missed the bonding he and his brothers did when they hunted their own meals.

His thoughts were interrupted by some yelling in the distance. It sounded like Ace, and he sounded pissed. Luffy and Sabo looked at each other. Luffy then looked in the direction if was coming from, and wondered what happened that got Ace so worked up.

The shouting got louder until Pineapple Head and the other guy walked into the clearing. The other guy had Ace's pipe in his hand, and Pineapple Head held Ace I his arms. Ace was kicking and screaming, but something seemed off. Luffy tried to pinpoint what it was when he realized that Ace had tears in his eyes. Luffy pouted at this. Ace always got onto him for crying, and now he was crying, himself.

"Hey! How come you can cry, and I can't?!" Luffy yelled, and Ace froze.

He looked down at Sabo and Luffy, and blinked a few times. He closed his eyes and shook his head, and looked at them again. He was released, and he just stood there as if he didn't believe what he was seeing.

"What's with you? I don't think I've ever seen you so quiet." Sabo said with his brows drawn up in concern.

"How come he gets to cry, and I can't?! He's being a hypo… hippo… hipper…" Luffy trailed off as he tried to think of the word.

"Hypocrite?" Sabo asked, and Luffy nodded.

"Yeah, that!" Luffy said, and Ace slowly walked toward them. He then punched Luffy, pretty hard.

"Ow! What was that for, you jerk?!" Luffy asked as he rubbed his head.

"FOR RUNNING OFF WHEN WE TOLD YOU TIME AND AGAIN NOT TO!" Ace yelled with a shaky voice, and Luffy felt his annoyance melt away into worry.

"Are you okay, Ace?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Ace said not looking at him.

"Are you sure?" Sabo asked and Ace only nodded.

Sabo turned to the two adults and said, "Thanks for bringing him here. And I'm sorry for any trouble he might've caused."

"He wasn't too much trouble. He just really cares for you two." The guy with the glasses said, and handed Sabo Ace's pipe. Ace shifted some when he said this.

"Well, sorry anyways. And thanks again." Sabo said, and the adults nodded. They then left the three brothers alone in the clearing.

Luffy turned to Ace, who was now sitting in front of the fire, playing with his portion of the bear. Luffy felt even more worried than before, and wondered what happened that caused Ace to act like this. He shared a concerned glance with Sabo before he sat next to his oldest brother. Sabo sat on Ace's other side.

They sat in silence as they ate their meal slowly, for once. Luffy usually liked to talk and have fun, but he knew when he needed to be calm. And this was definitely one of those moments where he had to be still, and just enjoy the presence of his two big brothers.

"So, you were in the forest this whole time?" Ace asked after a while. It took Luffy a few seconds to realize that Ace was talking to him.

"Yeah! The forest kept moving around, so me and Zoro kept ending up back here." Luffy explained.

"Forests don't move around, Luffy." Sabo explained.

"This one does! Zoro said so!"

"Zoro couldn't find his way out of a paper bag." Ace said with a snort.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Luffy asked.

"It means, he's always getting himself lost." Sabo said and took a bite of meat.

"In other words, the forests didn't move. He just led you in circles." Ace said.

"Oh, I get it! Zoro's an idiot!" Luffy said with one of his signature grins.

"Like you're one to talk." Ace said, and playfully shoved Luffy.

"Oh yeah?" Luffy asked, and shoved back.

"Yeah!" Ace said and shove Luffy again. This started a play fight between the two.

"Well, if you ask me, you're both morons." Sabo laughed.

Luffy and Ace stopped their play fight, and looked at Sabo. They glanced at each other, and nodded with widening grins. They stalked up to Sabo, who realized what was going on, and started to back up.

"C'mon, guys! You aren't going to gang up on your favorite brother, are you?" Sabo asked while he put his hands up.

"Favorite brother? Yeah right!" Ace yelled and started to chase Sabo who gave a small yelp before running away.

Luffy laughed and helped Ace in his pursuit. They ran around the fire and their unfinished meals, laughing all the while. Sabo managed to dodge all of Ace's attempt to tackle him to the ground. This wasn't a surprise since Sabo was the fastest of the three of them. They weren't going to catch Sabo at this rate.

Luffy then got an idea. He stopped chasing Sabo, and turned around. Sabo and Ace ran around the fire yet again, and Sabo was so focused on not letting Ace catch him that he didn't see Luffy in front of him until it was too late. Sabo gave a surprised yelp when Luffy tackled him to the ground.

"Way to go, Luffy!" Ace cheered, and Luffy smiled down at the blond.

"Okay, you've caught me. What are you going to do now?" Sabo asked. Luffy and Ace shared a devious smirk, and Ace flexed his fingers a few times. Sabo tensed as he realized what was about to happen.

"No! No, you wouldn't dare!" Sabo said as Ace crept closer.

"Guy! No, you know I'm- AAAAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Sabo burst into laughter as Ace and Luffy started to tickle him. Sabo squirmed this way and that trying to get them to stop, but it only served to give them more tickle spots to attack.

"A-alright! I give up! HAHAHA! I give up!" Sabo yelled after a few minutes of being tickled.

Luffy and Ace backed up, and gave Sabo room to sit up. His laughter trailed off as he wiped away some tears. Ace and Luffy grinned triumphantly. They had gotten the better of the smartest brother, and that was something that didn't happen often.

Luffy smiled at his two brothers. Yeah, they got on each other's nerves from time to time, but there was no doubt that they loved each other. There wasn't anything Luffy wouldn't do for their sake, and he knew that they returned the favor. No matter how much they fought, he knew they would always have an unbreakable bond. And that bond would be something Luffy would cherish until the day he died.


	13. Rematch

**Whew! This chapter didn't want to be written. But I managed to get it done! It probably isn't as good of quality as the other chapters, but I hope you enjoy it anyways. The next chapter will be much better.**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

Ace walked through the village with determination. He and Zoro had sparred the day before, and he couldn't finish due to cramps. Today, however, he made sure he was ready to beat Zoro, and he wouldn't take him by surprise this time.

"This is awesome! Another fight between Ace and my future swordsman!" Luffy cheered from Ace's right.

"I don't think he wants to join your crew, Luffy." Sabo said from Ace's left.

"But he has to! He uses three swords!" Luffy said with a small frown.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ace asked as they rounded a corner.

"Three sword style is awesome!" Luffy said as if that explained everything, and Ace rolled his eyes.

They approached the gates to the Isshin Dojo, and Ace tightened his grip around his pipe in anticipation. Today was they day he would show Zoro which of them was stronger. Sabo knocked on the gates, and they waited for an answer.

"I don't see why we can't just walk in." Ace complained.

"It's only polite. Yesterday was an emergency, but that doesn't give us the excuse to barge in today." Sabo said with a strict expression.

Ace was about to retort something when the gates opened. Koshiro stood in the doorway, and Ace frowned at him. He had embarrassed himself in front of that guy yesterday by thinking he did something to his brothers, but the fact that Sabo and Luffy were okay didn't make him hate they old man any less.

"Oh, you must be here to spar with Zoro. He told me about yesterday. Come on in. Zoro is preparing in the courtyard." Koshiro opened the gate further, and Ace eyed him for a few seconds.

When the old man did nothing more than smile down at them, he walked forward. Luffy and Sabo followed him in. Koshiro closed the gates behind them, and took the lead. He led them behind the main building. Zoro was there practicing his swings on a training dummy.

"Zoro!" Luffy ran forward before anyone could say anything, and tackled Zoro in a hug.

"Get back here, Luffy!" Ace called out in annoyance. Why did his youngest brother insist on making friends with the oddest people?

"Get off me!" Zoro yelled once his shock wore off.

"They're about to spar, Luffy. Let him go." Sabo said, and Luffy let go. He smiled at Zoro, who only frowned at him.

"You ready to lose, greenie?" Ace taunted. Zoro shifted his gaze to Ace, and his frown deepened.

"Bring it on, freckles." He taunted back. Ace dropped his smirk, and narrowed his eyes. They glared at each other for a few seconds.

"Let's make it an honorable duel, now." Koshiro said, and led the two to the sparring arena. They stood apart from each other, and began to evaluate their opponent.

Zoro was pretty strong, but he wasn't anything Ace's hadn't seen before. Fighting larger than life animals can really make you question how strong is strong. Also, Garp's training only worked to make Ace even stronger. The only reason Zoro got the upper hand last time was because Ace underestimated him. That wouldn't happen this time.

"Begin." Koshiro stated, signifying the start of the sparring match.

The two sides immediately launched at each other. Ace, already expecting a barrage of attacks, defended himself nimbly. He even managed to sneak a hit in here and there. Zoro jumped back, but Ace didn't give him any breathing room. He got a good hit on his ribcage, and he sent the smaller boy sailing across the arena.

Zoro immediately got back up and eyed Ace. Ace charged forward, but Zoro managed to block his attack. He jumped back a good ways, and crossed his arms. He was going to use that same attack the unarmed Ace yesterday. Ace got in a ready positions.

"Three sword style: Oni-" Zoro rushed forward, but Ace was ready this time. He swung forward with enough force to break the wooden swords, and knocked the real sword out of Zoro's mouth. He knocked Zoro onto his back, and pointed the end of his pipe at him.

"I win." Ace smirked, and Zoro frowned.

"Rematch." He stated dryly.

"What?" Ace raised an eyebrow.

"Rematch. Right here, right now." Zoro said, and Ace's smirk grew.

"As you wish, but I'll just kick your ass again." Ace moved the pipe away, and allowed Zoro to grab his sword.

Zoro turned to Sabo and Luffy and asked, "Can I borrow your pipes?"

"Why?" Sabo asked, and stopped Luffy from handing his over.

"Because wooden swords are just going to break, and I'm not dumb enough to use them a third time." Zoro said, and held his hand out.

"Are you okay with this, Ace?" Sabo asked.

"Sure, it'll be more of a challenge that way." Ace said with a shrug. With that, Sabo and Luffy handed over their pipes, and Zoro gave them a few practice swings. He seemed quite comfortable with the heavier weight of pipes despite the fact that the heaviest thing Ace had seen him wield was the real sword he put in his mouth. Zoro then faced Ace, signifying that he was ready.

"Begin." Koshiro said, starting the spar.

Ace ran forward and swung his pipe. Zoro blocked it, and tried to get space between them. Ace, however, didn't let up. Zoro blocked a few more attacks before he used all his strength to push Ace away. Ace was taken by surprise of how strong Zoro really was as he slid back a few feet.

Zoro crossed his arms again, and Ace rolled his eyes. Didn't this guy know any other moves? Ace got in a ready position.

"Three swords style: Oni-" Zoro ran forward, and Ace jumped to the side. All of Zoro's attacks missed. Ace swung at Zoro's exposed back. Zoro didn't react in time, and was pushed to the ground.

"Heh! Is that the best you got?!" Ace taunted.

Zoro quickly got to his feet and attacked Ace, who blocked the attack. Zoro kept swinging his weapons at Ace in a desperate attempt to land a hit on the freckled boy. Ace decided that he had enough, and swung his pipe with enough force to send Zoro sprawling on the floor. Ace was immediately on top of him. Zoro tried to attack while on the ground, but Ace hit Zoro's pipes hard enough to send them flying across the arena. Zoro narrowed his eyes at Ace.

"I win, again." Ace said, and let Zoro up.

"I want another rematch." Zoro said.

"What? Now?" Ace asked. Was this guy really so desperate to get his butt kicked?

"No. Right before you leave this island. I need to be stronger if I want to beat you." Zoro said.

"Very well." Ace smirked, and grabbed Sabo and Luffy's pipes.

"It's okay, Zoro! I can't beat Ace, either!" Luffy said as he approached the green haired kid, who only looked at him with an unreadable expression.

"You can't, huh?" Zoro said in an unsurprised tone.

"Nope! But I'm getting stronger every day, and I'll beat him one of these days when I become Pirate King!" Luffy said with a big smile, and Zoro's eyes widened slightly.

"C'mon, Luffy. Let's go catch some lunch." Sabo called, as Ace handed him his pipe.

"Yeah! Food!" Luffy cheered, and ran toward his brothers. Zoro's eyes never once leaving his little brother. Ace eyed Zoro suspiciously. Just what did he want with his little brother?

"Let's go, Ace! I'm starving!" Luffy said ad grabbed his pipe. Ace looked down at his straw hatted brother.

"When are you not hungry?" Ace asked, and took the lead.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed, and followed behind.

They left the dojo, and started to make their way back to the forest. Marco and Thatch had offered to pay for a room for the three brothers, but Ace knew better than to trust those two. Instead, he and his brothers stayed in the forest. The forests back home were a lot more dangerous than anything this forest could offer. If anything, it was a peaceful home away from home.

"Do you think there are alligators here?" Luffy asked.

"We'll have to do a bit more exploring before we know for sure, Luffy." Sabo said.

"I hope we find one." Luffy started to drool at the thought of eating gators again, and Ace silently agreed. They all missed the sweet taste of gator meat.

"We also need to start gathering enough food to last us another long journey." Sabo said.

"Where are we going next?" Ace asked.

"Gecko Island, and that's a good two weeks' worth of sailing." Sabo said, and Ace inwardly groaned at the thought of sailing that long with the Whitebeard pirates. He just knew they would follow them again, and Ace was sick and tired of it. The only bright side is that they seemed to leave him and his brothers alone while they were on an island. If only there was some way to give them the slip.

Ace stopped, and smirked to himself. He just got a brilliant idea. An idea that would surely rid them of the Whitebeard pirates for good.

"What's wrong, Ace? How come we stopped?" Luffy asked.

"Oh no. I recognize that look. What are you planning?" Sabo asked while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I just got a great idea for getting rid of Thatch and Marco." Ace said while his devious smile grew.

"But I like Thatch and that other guy!" Luffy pouted.

"Him name is Marco, Lu." Sabo said.

"Yeah, him!" Luffy said, and Ace faced his naïve brother.

"You want to have awesome adventures, right?" Ace asked.

"Yeah." Luffy nodded.

"Well, we can't have proper adventures until we lose those two." Ace explained.

"But Thatch makes good food!" Luffy continued to pout.

"You want to be King of the Pirates, right? Well you can't become king until you learn to sail on your own, and you can't do that until we're rid of the Whitebeard Pirates." Ace said, starting to lose his patience. Luffy's expression changed from pouty to panicked.

"But I have to become King of the Pirates! I promised Shanks!" Luffy shouted.

"Then help us lose them." Ace said, and Luffy nodded vigorously.

"What do you have in mind?" Sabo asked.

Ace smiled and said, "Okay, here's the plan…"

XxXxXxXxX

"Man, I can't believe we missed it." Thatch said with his hands behind his head.

"Well, to be fair, I don't think Ace would want us there to watch his match with Zoro." Marco said.

"Yeah, but it'd have been a fun match to watch." Thatch pouted.

They walked toward the docks in silence. Marco had heard about the match from Zoro, and Thatch wanted to watch. If anything, it would be nice to give the brat moral support. But they had gotten the time wrong, and they had missed the whole thing. Koshiro said that they would have one last rematch right before they left the island, so Thatch would make sure he got to see this match.

They approached the docks, and Thatch noticed that something was off. It took a few seconds to realize that the brats' boat was missing. Thatch would've gone into panic mode had he not sensed the three of them behind a bush not too far from the shore. He and Marco shared a glance, and walked toward the bush.

"They know we're here!" came Luffy's hushed voice.

"Shut up! No they don't!" Ace said and the sound of a fist hitting a rubber skull was heard.

"Yeah, we do." Marco said, and the three brats jumped in surprise.

"How did you know?!" Ace yelled with his usual glare.

"Do you really think you can trick seasoned pirates with a small trick like that?" Thatch asked as he crossed his arms.

"I had a feeling that it wasn't going to work." Sabo said, standing up.

"But you guys had to fall for it! I can't become Pirate King until I learn to sail on my own!" Luffy yelled as he, too, stood up.

"Aren't you sailing with your brothers, though?" Marco asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah." Luffy nodded.

"So you wouldn't be sailing on your own then, even if we did fall for your trick." Marco explained.

"Oh! Okay!" Luffy smiled.

"Why can't you just leave us alone?!" Ace yelled.

"Yeah, like we're going to leave three kids, who barely know anything about sailing, to sail the seas all on their own." Thatch said sarcastically, and Ace glared at him.

Sabo sighed and said, "C'mon, Ace. We'd better put the boat back."

Ace stared at the two Whitebeard pirates for several second before following Sabo. Luffy smiled up at them, and trailed behind Ace. After a few seconds the sound of a boat being pushed across the ground reached their ears. The boat soon appeared out of the foliage as the trio pushed the boat across the shore and into the water. Sabo helped Luffy into the boat before the sea could affect him, and the other two climbed in.

"It wasn't a bad idea. They would've gotten away with it if we didn't have Observation Haki." Marco said, and Thatch nodded in agreement.

They watched the brats use their pipes as oars, and paddled back to their spot at the docks. Once they got there, they tied up the boat and started to walk back toward the forest. Thatch couldn't help but wonder if this would be the last time they tried to lose him and Marco.

XxXxXxXxX

"Do you think he got lost again?" Sabo asked from his spot on the boat.

"Probably. He is an idiot, after all." Ace said, as he stood on the dock, waiting for Zoro to show up.

"He also has to agree to join my crew." Luffy said.

They had been on the island for five days, and now it was time to set sail. They had gathered all the food they needed for their trip to Gecko Island, and were ready to leave. The only thing holding them up was Zoro. He still had to join Luffy's crew.

Luffy had been persistent. Every time they saw Zoro, he would run up to him and demand that he joined his crew, but Zoro always declined. If he didn't agree before they left, then he would just have to try again in ten years. He really wanted Zoro to be his swordsman and first mate, and he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"There they are!" Sabo yelled, and Luffy turned to face the village. Zoro and the guy with the glasses were walking towards them.

"Hi, Zoro! Are you ready to join my crew?!" Luffy called out with a smile, but Zoro merely ignored him.

"It's about time! I thought you had gotten lost again." Ace said, and Zoro frowned.

"What are you talking about? I don't get lost." Zoro said, and everyone just stared at him.

"Yeah, you do! You led Luffy in circles the first day we were here!" Ace yelled after a few seconds.

"It's not my fault the trees kept moving!" Zoro yelled back.

"Now, now. Let's just get this duel over with." The glasses guy said patiently.

"Yeah, yeah. Can I borrow your pipes again?" Zoro asked, turning to Luffy and Sabo. Luffy and Sabo handed their pipes to Zoro. He put the real sword in his mouth, and did a few practice swings to get used to them again. He then turned to Ace, letting them know he was ready.

"Begin." Glasses guy said.

They ran at each other, and attacked mercilessly. Zoro's swings were faster and stronger than they were a few days ago, but he was still no match for Ace. Ace blocked each attack effortlessly. They continued this pattern for a few seconds before Ace pushed Zoro back with a solid swing. Zoro slid back a several feet. Ace dashed forward and attacked, but Zoro dodged to the side. Ace had left himself open, and Zoro took that opportunity. He hit Ace pretty hard on his side, which sent Ace to the ground.

Ace got up immediately, and attacked again. Zoro dodged again, but Ace was ready for him this time. He blocked Zoro's attack, and the two jumped back to reanalyze their opponent. After a few seconds, Zoro crossed his arms.

"Three sword style: Oni-" Zoro ran forward, a lot faster than he did the last several times he tried the move. Ace was barely able to block in time, and the force pushed him back.

"Giri!" Zoro said, and Ace quickly recovered.

"Do you know any other moves?" Ace asked, and swung forward, and Zoro blocked the attack. They swung at each other several times before Ace hit hard enough to send Zoro over the dock, and into the water.

"Zoro was pushed out of the perimeter. Ace wins." Koshiro said, ending the match.

"Way to go, Ace!" Sabo cheered.

"He was faster than I expected." Ace said, and watched as Zoro climbed back onto the dock. Zoro walked toward Sabo and Luffy, and handed them their pipes.

He stared a Luffy for a few seconds and said, "Luffy, my dream is to become the world's greatest swordsman. That dream comes first before anything else. It doesn't matter to me if I fulfill that dream inside or outside the law. I plan on sailing out in about eight years. I will not wait for you. However, if you can find me, and prove your strength, I'd be happy to call you my captain."

Luffy blinked a few times, before a smile spread across his face.

"I look forward to it!" Luffy said, and Zoro walked away. Ace walked over to them, and they set sail.

"I don't know how you did it, Luffy, but you managed to almost secure another crew member before you even sail out on your own." Sabo said.

"Yup! I just need to get a lot stronger!" Luffy smiled.

"You'll have to do a lot of training if you want to pass his level of strength in ten years." Thatch said, as their ship sailed up next to them. Ace growled something under his breath, and glared up at the two grown pirates.

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered.

Luffy didn't mind how much training he'd have to do to become stronger. He would do it, and Zoro would become part of his crew. He would make sure of it.


	14. New Fishman Island

**I'm so sorry about this being kinda late. Life got in the way of writing fanfiction. Curse you reality! Anyways, going by the title of the chapter, you've probably already guessed who is in it... Or suggested to be in future chapters. And I bet you thought I was done with these guys! Ha! Anyways, I gave Kaya's family the last name of "Rutherford" because they don't give a last name in the anime or manga. I hope this chapter was well worth the wait.**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

"We finally made it!" Luffy cheered as the two boats approached Gecko Island.

"It's about time!" Ace said with a barely noticeable smile.

"I never thought those two weeks would end!" Sabo sighed in relief.

Sabo really did think the past two weeks would be the end of him. Ace was constantly picking fights with Marco and Thatch over the smallest things, and Luffy developed a new habit of falling overboard as many times as possible. Sabo had lost count of how many times they had to fish his rubber-brained brother out of the ocean. And to top it all off, they ran out of food a week ago so they had to rely on the Whitebeard Pirates once again for their meals. Ace was not very happy about that.

"It'll be nice to eat good food again." Ace said as he glanced over to Thatch, who twitched in anger. Sabo was thankful when Marco placed a comforting hand on Thatch's shoulder to stop whatever argument was about to erupt.

"We're approaching a new island, Ace. Can't we just enjoy the moment without provoking someone?" Sabo asked in an almost pleading tone. He was sick and tired of Ace trying to fault the two adults for every small thing just to cause a fight.

"Yeah, Ace! We get to hunt again, and maybe I'll find another crew member!" Luffy smiled up at the freckled boy.

"Yeah, right. There's no chance you'll find another person willing to be on your crew." Ace dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand, and Luffy frowned.

"I don't know, Ace. He managed to find a crew member on each island we've been to so far." Sabo pointed out, and Luffy regained his grin.

"See?! I'm sure I'll find a crew member on this island too! Hopefully a musician!" Luffy looked off into the distance, as if we was imagining his future crewmate.

"Why a musician?" Sabo asked.

"Because pirates like to sing!" Luffy then started singing off key to a song only he knew. His performance was cut short when Ace bonked him on the head.

"Will you shut up?! No one wants to hear your bad singing!" Ace yelled and Luffy rubbed his head.

"What's your problem?!" Luffy yelled back. Sabo rubbed his temples to relieve the oncoming headache. So much for a peaceful arrival.

"My problem is that we should be having this adventure on our own, but those two jackasses insisted on following us!" Ace yelled and pointed at the two Whitebeard Pirates, who weren't even paying attention to the argument.

Sabo tuned out Ace and Luffy's argument as he studied the adults' worried expressions. Something wasn't right. He followed their gaze over to the island, but he couldn't see anything. He strained his hearing to see if he could hear scream or anything that would give off distress, but all he could hear was the ocean and his brothers' yelling match. Sabo was genuinely curious about their expressions. Why would they look so concerned if there was no proof of anything wrong?

"Would you two stop it?! I think something's up!" Sabo interrupted the fight, and his two brothers looked at him.

"What is it?" Luffy asked in a curious tone.

"Look at their expressions. I think something is going on at the island." Sabo pointed to Marco and Thatch. Ace glanced at the adults and then snorted.

"So? They're just trying to trick us. I told you that we can't trust them." Ace said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Sabo shook his head and said, "I don't think so. They had plenty of opportunities to attack us if they were going to. Why would they wait this long to try and trick us?"

"Why are they so worried about an island that looks perfectly fine?! It has to be a trick!" Ace yelled.

"Call it a hunch, but I think they can sense things we can't." Sabo said while he rubbed his chin in thought.

"Really?! That's so cool!" Luffy yelled, and earned a glare from Ace.

"Don't be stupid, Luffy! How can anyone sense something that far?!" Ace pointed to the island, which was about fifty yards away.

"Think about it, Ace. When we tried to lose them back on the last island, they instantly knew where we were. They didn't even panic, or look around for clues to our whereabouts. Instead, they looked from the empty spot at the dock to our hiding place. That can't just be a coincidence." Sabo explained.

"Maybe they heard us." Ace suggested.

"We made sure to be extra quiet so they wouldn't. Face it, they have some weird sensing ability." Sabo said, and Ace gave him a stubborn look.

"Oh! It's kinda like how Gramps always knows where we are no matter how good we hide." Luffy said and placed a fist in an open palm.

Sabo turned to Luffy and said, "Exactly. Now that you mention it, I think they have the same ability."

"You're both imagining things. Sure, the old geezer can somehow find us no matter where we are, but that doesn't mean these guys can do the same thing." Ace said dryly.

"What makes you so sure that they don't?" Sabo challenged.

"What makes you think they do?" Ace retorted.

"How else do you explain them finding us so quickly at the last island?" Sabo asked.

"Lucky guess." Ace deadpanned. Sabo said nothing, and just gave his hard headed brother a questioning look.

"Just watch. There will be nothing wrong when we get to the island." Ace said confidently.

XxXxXxXxX

Ace stared in shock at the sign that stood before them. It was a large, wooden, poorly made sign with terribly painted words that stood on the shore they landed on. It said: "Welcome to New Fishman Island! All Humans Beware!" If it weren't for the fact that is was spelled correctly, Ace would've thought Luffy made the sign.

"What was that about there being nothing wrong with the island?" Sabo asked almost smugly.

"This. Doesn't. Prove. Anything." Ace said through gritted teeth. He tightened his grip around his pipe until he felt the circulation cut off.

"Eh? What's a fishman?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion.

"You remember Arlong?" Sabo asked, and only got a blank stare in response.

Sabo sighed and said, "Longnose."

"Oh! Was he a fishman?" Luffy asked.

"Yes, Luffy, he was. I guess the rest of his crew came here after their failure at Conomi Island." Sabo said as he turned to the sign.

Ace glared at the sign. Sure it meant that the other fish guys came here, but that didn't mean there was anything wrong with this island. He absolutely refused to believe the Whitebeard Pirates had some sensing power.

"Well, we better get into town, and see what happened here." Thatch said to Marco, who nodded in agreement. Ace gave the sign one last withering look before he too started for the village.

"Hold it. Where do you think you three are going?" Marco said when he realized Ace and his brothers were following.

"To the village. Where else?" Ace said while giving them his best sneer.

"No way. We have no idea what the exact situation is in this town. Those fishmen could do harm to any of you easily." Thatch said, and Ace felt anger rise up in his chest.

"Who do you think you are telling us what to do?!" Ace yelled.

"You may not like to hear this, but those guys are a lot stronger and more experienced than you. For your safety, and the safety of your brothers, I suggest that you stay here until we come and get you." Marco said with crossed arms.

"LIKE HELL WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT!" Ace felt Sabo's hand on his shoulder, and he angrily shook him off.

"While I don't like his tone, I do agree with Ace. We can handle ourselves just fine." Sabo said, and Ace calmed down some on hearing the blond back him up.

"Yeah! I want to explore the island!" Luffy agreed, and Ace smirked. They couldn't refuse them if all three agreed on the same thing.

Marco sighed and said, "Listen, I know we made it look easy taking down Arlong, but we're New World pirates. We're a lot stronger than these guys. You three aren't. They can hurt you really badly, or even kill you without breaking a sweat. What makes you think you can possibly handle yourselves against them?"

"We know how to run away." Luffy said with a smile.

"What?" Thatch asked in confusion.

"It's true. We're used to running away from guards and crooks. We've gotten pretty creative with it too." Sabo explained. Ace suppressed a fond smile as he thought about all those times they dined and dashed, or stole from a random person in the Gray Terminal. Luffy's rubber abilities really came in handy when they were in a tight jam. The two adults looked at them for a few seconds, and sighed.

"We can stand here and argue all day, but you're just going to go into the village no matter what we say. So, please, just stay away from all the fishmen." Marco said while he pinched the bridge of his nose. Ace was about to respond when he felt Sabo cover his mouth.

"Of course." Sabo said while Ace struggled against his brother. The grown pirates nodded in satisfaction, and walked away. Sabo released Ace when they disappeared from sight.

"What was that for?!" Ace yelled and turned to Sabo.

"They were about to leave us alone. I didn't want you to say anything stupid, to make them stay longer." Sabo crossed his arms, and gave Ace a look.

"I wasn't going to say anything that wasn't true." Ace responded.

"That's exactly what I was afraid of, and if you don't get back here, Luffy, I'm going to drag you by your earlobes the entire time we're on this island!" Sabo yelled, and Ace noticed that Luffy had gone halfway up the slope that led to the village.

"But I wanna explore the island!" Luffy whined.

"Wait for us, at least. You're running off on your own too much lately, and we can't afford that with fishmen on the island." Sabo said and started to walked up the slope.

"C'mon already! I wanna meet my musician!" Luffy yelled while he bounced in his spot.

"Just because you met future crew mates on the other islands doesn't mean you'll meet one on this island." Ace said as he caught up to his straw hatted brother.

"But I might!" Luffy yelled over his shoulder as he dashed up the rest of the slope. Ace and Sabo ran after him, and quickly caught up.

They ran through the forest area, and into the village. The village was in a state of disrepair. Every building was either crumbled or crumbling, and the few people outside looked injured in one way or another. Not only that, but they seemed paranoid of the mansion at the top of the hill.

"What the hell happened here?" Ace asked.

"The fishmen?" Sabo suggested.

"Hey, you aren't from here, are you?" asked a voice behind them. They turned around, and saw a blond girl in a white dress.

"So what if we aren't?" Ace challenged, and got an elbow from Sabo. Ace rubbed his arm, and glared at his brother.

"You aren't fishmen, though. Are you with those guys that just walked into town?" She asked.

"Hell no!" Ace yelled, and earned another elbow from Sabo.

"He means, they are with us instead of us being with them. We decided to sail on our own, and they followed us." Sabo explained.

"Yeah, and Thatch is a really good chef!" Luffy yelled, and Ace bonked him on the head.

"Don't compliment his garbage cooking!" Ace yelled, and Luffy puffed his cheeks angrily at him. The girl laughed at them, and smiled.

"My name is Kaya. Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Sabo. That's Luffy, and Ace." Sabo pointed to each of them in turn.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, but you should probably leave." Kaya said.

"Why should we?" Ace challenged.

"If the fishmen find out there are new humans on the island, there's no telling what they'll do." Kaya said quietly.

"Tell me, are the fishmen in that mansion on the hill?" Sabo asked and pointed to said mansion.

"Yes. My family used to live there, but we were kicked out when the fishmen arrived. No one in this town was strong enough to fight them. Thankfully, Usopp and his mom agreed to let us stay with them until the fishmen leave." Kaya explained sadly.

"Wait! Usopp? Is his dad named 'Yasopp' by any chance?" Luffy asked, and Kaya looked surprised.

"Yes, but how do you know?" she asked stunned.

"I met his dad. He would never shut up about his kid." Luffy smiled.

"When did you meet this guy?" Sabo asked.

"He's on Shanks' crew." Luffy said.

"You mean Red Haired Shanks?!" Kaya seemed taken aback by the news.

"Yup!" Luffy turned to the blonde girl.

"Wow. I knew Usopp said his dad left to become a pirate, but I didn't think he was part of an Emperor's crew." Kaya said as the information sank in.

"We have to tell Usopp! He'll be so excited to hear this!" Kaya said, jerking out of her trance.

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered and raised both hands in excitement.

"Now hold on, Luffy-"

"Let's go!" Luffy interrupted Sabo, and grabbed Kaya's arm. Kaya jumped a little when Luffy suddenly grabbed her, and started to lead her in a direction he thought Usopp might be. Ace groaned in annoyance, and followed after his idiot brother. Sabo was right next to him.

"Luffy, do you even know where this Usopp guy is?" Sabo asked.

"No idea!" Luffy said with a big smile.

"I do! He's at his house." Kaya said with a smile of her own.

"Where?!" Luffy practically demanded.

"Take a right at this intersection, and it'll lead to a path just outside of town. Follow the path, and it'll lead to Usopp's home." Kaya instructed, and Luffy nodded.

They followed the directions and were at the small house in no time. One glance proved that it was in a much better condition than any of the houses in town. Ace wondered why the fishmen hadn't touched this house, when it appeared they went ballistic on all the others.

"Why is this place in such good condition when all the other houses look like a tornado hit them?" Sabo asked as if he read Ace's mind.

"This place is kinda out of the way, and the villagers do their best to keep the fishmen away from here." Kaya said.

"Why?" Luffy asked with a small tilt to his head.

It's because of Usopp's mom, Bachina." Kaya said, and a sad look appeared on her face.

"What about her?" Sabo asked.

"She's sick. We don't know what's wrong with her, and she only appears to be getting worse. The villagers know that, and try to keep the fishmen away. If they knew a sick human was here, they would more than likely kill her." Kaya said, and Ace stared at the village with a small amount of respect.

"Wow, that's very brave of them." Sabo commented.

"That's also why Bachina insists we stay with her and Usopp. It'll keep us safe from the fishmen." Kaya said sadly.

"She sounds like a nice lady." Luffy said, and looked at the house.

"Oh, she's very kind. She loves her son, and husband so much. You know, I bet she'd like to hear about Yasopp too. It's been a while since they got any news about him." Kaya said with a hopeful smile.

"Yeah! Let's go tell her." Luffy smiled at her. They walked into the house, and the first thing they saw was Marco and Thatch talking to two other people.

"Are you kidding me?! What are you two doing here?!" Ace yelled, catching everyone's attention.

"Are you following us now, brat?" Thatch asked in a teasing tone, and Ace grit his teeth in annoyance.

"Wait, you brought kids to this island?" the man in the suit asked in an astonished voice.

"We came here of our own will! These guys insisted on coming with us!" Ace growled out.

"Usopp, guess what!" Kaya interrupted the conversation, and ran up to a long nosed kid with black, curly hair. Luffy was right behind her. Next to the long nosed kid, was a woman with an equally long nose. She was sitting in a chair with a blanket wrapped around her.

"What is it, Kaya?" Usopp asked.

"This is Luffy, and he met your dad!" Kaya pointed to Luffy who smiled at the two long nosed people.

"W-what?! Are you for real?!" Usopp looked shocked and excited at the same time.

"You met Yasopp?" Bachina asked weakly.

"Yup, I sure did!" Luffy said excitedly.

"What was he like?! Did he remember me?!" Usopp practically demanded.

"He's a great sniper, and he never shuts up about you. Most of my time with him was spent talking about you." Luffy said, and Usopp cried some tears of joy.

"See, Mom?! I told you he'd never forget us!" Usopp said with a big smile.

Bachina smiled at her son and said, "So you did."

"Please, tell us more!" Usopp said, and Luffy went off talking about Yasopp. Ace ignored their conversation, and instead turned his attention back to the Whitebeard Pirates, who went back to talking with the two other adults. He walked up to them, and hit Thatch's shin with his pipe.

"Ow! What was that for, brat?!" Thatch yelled while he hopped up and down, holding his shin.

"You didn't answer my question! What are you doing here?!" Ace asked again, and he heard Sabo face palm behind him.

"We're here getting information about the fishmen. Apparently, they kicked these two, their kid, and their butler out of their home." Marco answered.

"Wait, this is the first time I heard about a butler." Sabo piped up.

"Yes, Merry is in the kitchen, making lunch." The blonde woman answered.

"Don't worry Mr. and Mrs. Rutherford. We'll take care of those fishmen, and we'll get your house back." Thatch said after he finished nursing his shin.

"Thank you, so much. I don't know how we'll ever repay you!" Mr. Rutherford said with a relieved smile.

"Think nothing of it." Marco said as he and Thatch went out the door. Ace glared at their retreating forms, and smirked when an idea came to his head.

"Ace, whatever you're planning, no! We aren't doing it!" Sabo said sternly.

"You didn't even hear the idea yet!" Ace yelled.

"I don't need to. I know that look. It usually means trouble for us." Sabo crossed his arms.

"Look, I'm just saying we give them a taste of their own medicine."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look, they followed us when we didn't want them to, so let's follow them when they don't want us to. It'll show them how annoying it is." Ace said with a smile.

"You're suggesting we follow them to the heart of the fishmen's headquarters on this island just to get some petty revenge?" Sabo asked.

"Yes!" Ace challenged, and Sabo looked conflicted. He appeared to have an inward fight with himself before he sighed in defeat.

"What about Luffy?" he asked.

"Let's leave him here. He's busy talking to those guys about Yasopp. That's bound to keep him out of trouble while we're gone." Ace said.

"Fine, but just so you know, the only reason I'm going is because you'd just go by yourself if I didn't." Sabo said, and Ace smirked.

Sabo walked up to Luffy and said, "Hey, Luffy. Ace and I are going somewhere for a little while. We'll be back soon."

"Okay!" Luffy said, and went back to talking with his new friends. Sabo went up to Ace, and they both walked out the door. They watched the Whitebeard Pirates walking further down the path.

"Let's stay a good distance away, since they can sense us easily." Sabo suggested, and Ace nodded in agreement. They began to follow them, and Ace felt a sly smirk appear on his face. There was no way this plan could fail.


	15. Luffy No!

**Yay! Another chapter done! I've gotta say, I'm glad we're finally on this island! I've had the entire first round of the East Blue planned since before chapter three! I'm pumped to be writing this at last!**

 **That being said, I know many of you are annoyed with Ace's antics. I am too, but trust me when I say that that is a good thing. The more annoyed you are with him now, the more rewarding a future scene will be. No, the scene is not in this chapter, but it will be in the next chapter! I won't give too much away, but just know that all the annoyance will be worth it!**

 **Also, I wanted to clear something up. Kuro is not the butler mentioned in the last chapter. It was Merry, the lamb guy that built the Going Merry. Kuro wont make an appearance for a long time. Anyways,** **I hope you all enjoy!**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

Marco walked with Thatch through the mostly destroyed town. The buildings were in such a state of disrepair that he doubted it was safe to stay in some of them. The people of this village were in a worse state, however. Many of them were injured, and almost all of them looked around in fear. It was as if they expected a fishman to pop up out of nowhere and torture them some more. Those that didn't have fear in their eyes held a hopeless expression, like they had given up on ever getting out of their situation. Marco felt a righteous anger burn deep inside him. He was going to make those fishmen pay.

"Did you notice?" Thatch interrupted his thoughts. Marco wondered what he was talking about when he sensed two very familiar people following behind them. He sighed in annoyance.

"Should we stop them?" Marco asked, and Thatch shook his head.

"No, we tried to reason with them beforehand. Now they must learn things the hard way." Thatch said and Marco nodded in agreement. They would make sure the fishmen didn't hurt the brats, but maybe a scare was just what they needed to learn that there are some things they really can't handle.

"You're right. Let's just go free this island." Marco said, and took the lead toward the mansion on the hill.

XxXxXxXxX

Luffy watched as the lamb butler helped Bachina out of the chair, and led her to a bedroom. He had just told another story about Yasopp when she had a coughing fit, and Kaya's parent's insisted on letting her rest. Usopp and Kaya stood next to Luffy, and looked at each other with worried expressions.

"I hope your mom gets to feeling better, Usopp." Kaya said sadly.

"Me too. She's a really nice lady." Luffy chimed in.

"Yeah, her health has been getting worse. She spends more and more time in bed each day." Usopp said with tears in the corners of his eyes.

"Let's give Bachina a quiet house to rest in for a while. Why don't you three go play quietly outside? Stay in the yard. And remember, if you see any fishmen, come inside as quickly and quietly as possible." Kaya's mom said.

"Okay, Mommy!" Kaya said, and led the two boys outside. They shut the door behind them.

"Luffy, I wanted to thank you for telling me and my mom about my dad. It was nice to hear about him again after so long." Usopp said, and wiped away some tears.

"Don't mention it. Yasopp is a pretty cool guy." Luffy smiled.

"Yeah, he is. And I will be a brave warrior of the sea, just like him when I grow up!" Usopp proclaimed.

"Oh, you want to be a pirate too?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah, just like my old man, and I'm going to work on my aim so I can become a great sniper too." Usopp pulled out a slingshot and pretended to aim at various things.

"That's awesome! Hey, I know, you should join my crew!" Luffy said and Usopp looked at him bewildered.

"Wait, you're a pirate?" Kaya asked in confusion.

"Yeah, but I'm sailing with my brothers for now. I'll set out on my own in ten years, and gather my crew. Two people have already agreed to join. You can be the third!" Luffy pointed at Usopp who smiled widely.

"I'm honored. Of course I'll be your captain!" Usopp said with a flourish.

"Don't be stupid! I'm the captain!" Luffy said, and Usopp deflated some.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you can be the first mate." Kaya gave Usopp an encouraging smile.

"Yeah! I'll be the best first mate ever, and I'll have control over eight thousand men!" Usopp stuck his thumb at his chest, and smiled proudly.

"Actually, Zoro is the first mate." Luffy corrected.

"Oh." Usopp deflated again.

"That's okay, Usopp. You just said you're going to be a sniper like your dad, right? I'm sure the sniper position hasn't been filled yet." Kaya patted Usopp on the back.

"Nope. You can be the sniper." Luffy smiled, and Usopp perked up again.

"Okay, then. I'll be the best sniper in the world! My aim will be so accurate that I'll defeat enemies with one shot!" Usopp said proudly, and Kaya cheered. Luffy smiled widely. He showed Ace! While Usopp may not be a musician, he was another addition to his crew. He couldn't wait to set sail in ten years.

"Why, I bet I could sink the fishmen's pirate ship with one shot!" Usopp boasted.

"Whoa! Are you serious?! That's so cool!" Luffy yelled excitedly, with stars in his eyes.

"You bet! I once defeated a lion the size of a house with a mere pebble, you know. He was going to eat the orphans at the orphanage, but I, the brave and handsome Usopp, appeared before it. 'Surrender now, and I might go easy on you, you fiendish feline!' I said, and it cowered in fear of my sheer awesomeness! Before it had a chance to run away, I picked up a pebble at my feet and fired. The pebble hit the beast between the eyes, and he went down. The lion meat fed the hungry orphans for a month!" Usopp said, and Luffy looked at him with awe.

"That's awesome!" Luffy cheered, and Usopp absorbed the attention. Usopp must be really powerful if he could take down a lion so easily. Luffy decided he wanted to see what the long nosed kid could do.

"C'mon, let's go!" Luffy said, and started in a random direction.

"Go? Go where? We have to stay in the yard, remember?" Kaya asked.

"Usopp said he could sink the fishmen's pirate ship with a single shot. I want to see it." Luffy smiled, and Usopp paled.

"W-wait! Luffy! A-a-are you sure?! I mean, I don't want to make you feel inferior with my great sniping skills." Usopp said.

"Of course, I'm sure. I want to see my awesome sniper in action!" Luffy said, and started to walk again.

"Wait! L-let's not be too hasty here." Usopp said, stopping Luffy in his tracks.

"What's with you? You defeated a lion, right? A ship shouldn't be that big of a deal." Luffy said staring to get annoyed.

"It's just that… the wind! Yeah, the wind! It isn't right for sinking a ship. We have to wait for the wind to be just perfect." Usopp said.

"What?! Really?! Aw man!" Luffy pouted. He really wanted to see the ship sink.

"Yup, the wind isn't right. I'm afraid we'll have to sink a ship some other time." Usopp crossed his arm. Luffy looked down in disappointment. He really wanted to see something cool, like the fishmen's ship sinking. Maybe he could still see the ship, itself. He wondered what the differences were between a fishman's ship and a human's ship. A smile slowly spread across his face.

"Okay, so the wind isn't right yet, but I still wanna see the ship!" Luffy started to walk away.

"What?!" Usopp yelled in surprise.

"Yeah! It's not every day you get to see a fishman's ship!" Luffy yelled and started to run off in the direction he thought the ship was.

"Wait, Luffy! You aren't serious are you?!" Usopp yelled from behind. Luffy ignored him, and continued to run. He knew he would find the ship eventually if he kept running. Now, which way was the ocean?

XxXxXxXxX

"Usopp, we have to stop him." Kaya shook her friend who seemed to be in shock, and she didn't blame him. No one in their right mind would go to a fishman's ship willingly. Luffy could get hurt badly if the fishmen found him snooping around their stuff.

Usopp shook out of his trance and said, "He's dead! The fishmen will find him and kill him!"

"I know, that's why we have to stop him, no matter what. He's our friend now, we can't let him kill himself." Kaya said, and Usopp gulped hard.

"You're r-right, Kaya. We can't let a friend of ours get k-k-killed. We must save him from himself." Usopp crossed his arms. He would've looked very brave right then if his legs weren't shaking so much. If there was one thing Kaya really admired Usopp for, it was the fact that he would never abandon a friend, no matter how scared he was.

"Right, let's go." Kaya smiled and led the way toward the northern shore, where the fishmen left their ship. Luffy was a fast runner so they had to get there quickly. They got to the ship in no time, but they didn't see Luffy.

"Do you think he's already on the ship?" Kaya asked.

"M-maybe he isn't here yet?" Usopp offered.

"Maybe… I'll go look for him on the ship, you stay here in case he hasn't shown up yet." Kaya said, and started to walk down the slope.

"Wait!" Usopp grabbed her arm.

"What is it?" she asked.

"W-why don't we go together? Yeah, power in numbers and everything!"

"What if Luffy hasn't shown up yet? We can't let him get on the boat. One of us has to stay here." Kaya shook her head.

"But what if the f-f-fishmen show up?" Usopp asked quietly.

"Would it make you feel better if you look around on the ship, and I wait here?" Kaya asked.

"No! I don't want to go near that thing by myself!" Usopp paled at the thought.

"But what if Luffy is already on it?" Kaya asked, and Usopp seemed conflicted.

"I won't take too long. I'll shout his name a few times, and look in a couple of rooms. All the fishmen are in town, so there shouldn't be any trouble." Kaya placed a reassuring hand on Usopp's shoulder. He looked at Kaya, then at the ship, and back again. He gained a determined look, and nodded.

"You're right. We can't abandon Luffy. I-I'll," Usopp gulped, "I'll stand watch here. You check the ship."

"Right, I'll be back in a minute." Kaya smiled, and ran for the ship. She looked around the deck, but it was empty.

"Luffy! Are you here?!" Kaya yelled, but got no response. She looked in a few of the cabins, and called Luffy's name, but the ship was empty. She checked the lower decks, but he wasn't there either. She came to the conclusion that Luffy wasn't there yet. She walked back onto the deck, and got off the ship. She ran back up to Usopp, who was shakily holding his sling shot.

"He's not-"

"AAAAH! FISHMAN!" Usopp yelled and fired blindly at Kaya. Kaya yelped, and ducked to avoid the projectile.

"Oh my gosh! Kaya! I'm so sorry! I thought you were a fishman!" Usopp quickly apologized, and helped Kaya back to her feet.

"It's okay, Usopp. It missed." Kaya said and brushed some dirt off of her dress.

"Still, I should've looked before I fired." Usopp blushed in embarrassment.

"It's fine. I'm okay." Kaya smiled to show she was alright.

"Sorry." Usopp rubbed the back of his neck.

"So, I guess he's not on the ship." He said after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"No, he's not. That means he hasn't arrived yet." Kaya said, and scanned the trees to see if she could spot Luffy. He was nowhere to be seen. They waited in silence for several minutes, but Luffy never showed.

"Do you think he changed his mind?" Usopp asked.

"Maybe. Let's wait a few more minutes just in case." Kaya suggested. They waited a few more minutes, but nothing happened.

"He'd be here already if he was going to show up. I think he gained some sense, and gave up." Usopp said as he turned to Kaya.

"Yeah, I think you're right. He probably went to find his brothers." Kaya nodded her head in agreement.

"Great, Luffy isn't here! Now, let's go before some fishmen actually do show up!" Usopp grabbed Kaya's arm and started to run away. Kaya gained her footing and started to run next to Usopp. It was likely that Luffy did give up on his quest to find the Fishmen's ship, but something in the back of Kaya's mind kept nagging at her with "what if's." Each one was worse than the last. She pushed down her doubts, and hoped that Luffy would find his brothers soon. Everything had to be okay… Right?

XxXxXxXxX

Thatch and Marco stood outside the mansion's front doors. Like the rest of the village, this place was trashed. But it wasn't trashed to the point where it was unlivable. All the windows were broken, the plants around the house were butchered pretty badly, and there was garbage everywhere. It was like the fishmen littered every chance they got, and didn't bother to pick it up. Thatch was disgusted at how poorly they treated this place. He figured it was because it was formerly a human's home. If it were made by a fishman, he was sure they would show it more respect. Thatch could hear the fishmen laughing, and cutting up inside the mansion.

"Did you see the look on that pitiful human's face when I broke that woman's arm?!" one of them laughed.

"Priceless! And the way he tried to attack you was hysterical!" another one laughed.

"Humans really are weak creatures. Even when they tried to ban together to defeat us, they were no match." The first one said. Each comment they made only served to anger Thatch further and further. He and Marco shared a look, and nodded.

"Hey, let's go back into town and-"

The fishman's sentence was cut off when Marco and Thatch simultaneously kicked open the door. The mansion's occupants turned to see who the intruders were, and froze when they saw who it was. Thatch was sure they looked menacing. He definitely felt menacing. What they did to the innocent villagers was inexcusable.

"I-i-it's the Whitebeard Pirates!" cried one of them.

"They followed us!" Another one yelled.

"Fishmen, we were going to leave you alone after capturing Arlong, but after seeing the town, and hearing horror stories about you…" Thatch trailed off.

"We aren't going to go easy on you." Marco cracked his knuckles in anticipation. The fishmen tensed at the thought of the beat down they were going to get, when one of them got brave.

"C'mon guys, did we forget? They may be Whitebeard Pirates, but they're also human. That means they're weaker than us." He tried to rally up the other fishmen.

"But they-"

"Are humans, and we are fishmen! It isn't that difficult to figure out! We can beat them if we work together!" the leader yelled, and it was followed by cheers from the other fishmen.

"Let's get them!" one in the back yelled, and they all charged forward.

"I guess they have to learn the hard way." Thatch sighed and unsheathed his sword.

"Agreed." Marco nodded, and turned his arms into fiery wings.

Marco flew forward, and kicked the lead fishman hard enough to send him and the others behind him flying backwards. The ones that managed to dodge the attack looked at Thatch and Marco in surprise. Thatch took advantage of their shock, and ran forward. He sliced each fishman as he passed them. He didn't cut deep enough to kill, but they definitely in need treatment soon.

Marco wasn't wasting time either. He flew around the room, and kicked each fishman hard enough to make them hit the floor with a loud thud. Thatch went around, and attacked the ones that were distracted by Marco. It was mere child's play for the Whitebeard pirates.

"Retreat! Back to the ship!" the supposed leader yelled after a few minutes of the one sided battle. The other fishmen were all too happy to follow those orders, and they all ran out of the door with such speed. Thatch and Marco walked outside, and watched the fishmen run down the hill and disappear from sight as they headed towards their ship.

"Do you think they learned their lesson this time?" Thatch asked as he sheathed his sword.

"Who knows? We'll tell pops to keep eyes and ears open in the East Blue for a while, just in case they try again. And as for you two," Marco turned to a nearby bush that hid a couple of brats, "Didn't we tell you to stay away from the fishmen?"

"It serves you right! Now you know how we feel about you always following us!" Ace popped out of the bush. Sabo was right behind him, and he gave Ace a very annoyed look.

"Is that what this is about?" Marco asked as massaged his temples.

"Yes! Now stop following us!" Ace yelled back.

"Stop it, Ace. Do you even realize how petty you sound right now?" Sabo pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I don't care. And you didn't have to come!" Ace turned to his brother.

"I only came to stop you from doing something stupid and reckless, like you almost did about five times!" Sabo yelled. Thatch's heart went out to the blond for having to put up with the hotheaded brat all the time.

"I wouldn't have to if these guys weren't-"

"Whatever you're about to say, I can guarantee that the exact opposite is true." Sabo held up a hand and interrupted Ace.

"Hey, they must be the ones!" A voice yelled from down the hill, effectively cutting off what Ace was about to say. Everyone turned to see a bunch of villagers approaching the mansion.

"The ones?" Thatch asked.

"Is it true? Are you the ones who sent those fishmen running?" one of the villagers asked as he stepped forward.

"Yeah, that was us." Marco said, and the villagers erupted into cheers.

"We're free!"

"We can live in peace again!"

"Let's hear it for our heroes!"

"Who are our heroes anyways?" One of the villagers asked, and they all turned to Thatch and Marco.

"I'm Marco, the 1st Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, and that's Thatch, the 4th Division Commander." Marco said, and everyone got quiet.

"Whitebeard Pirates?! In the East Blue?!" one of the villagers shouted.

"Yeah, but they saved us!" another one answered.

"Maybe they did that so they could take over the island themselves!" someone in the back shouted.

"We aren't here to hurt you." Thatch said calmly.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" someone asked.

"They are." Sabo stepped forward, and they seemed to notice the kids for the first time.

"Sabo! What are you doing?!" Ace yelled.

"Telling the truth. We have sailed with these guys for weeks now, and I can honestly say that they mean no harm!" Sabo announced, and the villagers visibly relaxed.

"What are you saying?! Of course they-"

"No! They don't! In all the time we've traveled with them, not once have they shown any hostility towards us! The only one picking fights here is you, Ace. So just stop it!" Sabo yelled, and Ace stared at him with wide eyes. Apparently, Sabo's patience had finally worn out.

"Whatever." Ace looked to the side and glared at a tree.

"If what this kid says is true, then that means we really are free!" The villagers went back to their cheering.

"Let's celebrate!" a villager shouted.

"Looks like we get another celebration." Thatch said as he watched the joyous town in amusement.

"Looks like it." Marco nodded.

"What about the town, though? Shouldn't that be fixed before anything else?" Sabo asked.

"They were suffering under the fishmen for a while. Let's let them enjoy their freedom before we worry about that." Marco answered, and Sabo nodded in understanding. Thatch was glad they were able to help. Not only that, but Sabo might actually be starting to beat some sense into Ace's incredibly thick skull. Things were looking up.

XxXxXxXxX

"I finally found it!" Luffy cheered as he stood in front of the large ship. He had looked all over the island for the ship, and even backtracked a few times accidentally. But he was here at last.

With a big smile, Luffy walked up the ramp and onto the deck. The ship was a pretty big one, but it was still small compared to Shanks' ship. Luffy looked around excitedly. He was always happy to explore a new ship, and this one was a fishman's ship. He ran around the deck and looked at every little thing that caught his eye.

He was about to peek inside an interesting looking barrel when a noise distracted him. He turned to the noise, and saw a bunch of fishmen running toward the ship. Luffy panicked, and quickly hid in the barrel. Those fishmen were bad guys that hurt a lot of people, and he knew that they wouldn't hesitate to hurt him either. He peeked through a hole in the barrel and saw the fishmen run all over the deck.

"Set sail, quick! They might be following us!" yelled a fishman with funny elbows.

Luffy felt the ship starting to move, and a sense of dread weighed in his stomach. He was going to leave his brothers behind! He wanted to jump out of the barrel and run for it, but something inside him held him back.

"I don't care where we head, just so long as it's far away from here!" a fishman with big lips yelled, and Luffy felt his dread grow. He was stuck on this ship, and he had no idea how he was going to get back to the island. Luffy did his best to swallow the lump in his throat, and tears started to form in the corners of his eyes. He hoped his brothers came to save him soon.


	16. Sabo's Limits and Ace's Regrets

**Whoo! Chapter sixteen is here! And this is the chapter that makes all of your annoyance towards Ace, no matter how small it is, worth it! I hope you all enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

 **And thank you to everyone for your encouraging reviews. They helped get this chapter out so quickly.**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

"I don't think they're going to follow us anymore."

"That's a relief. We can tend to our wounds now that we're not panicking."

"I think that damned phoenix broke all of my ribs."

The fishmen talked amongst themselves as they milled about the ship. The island was a good distance away now, and it continued to get smaller. Luffy kept his hands over his mouth to prevent any sound from coming out. He was lucky that the fishmen hadn't found him so far, but he knew it couldn't last forever.

He really wished Ace and Sabo were with him. He knew things would be okay if they were there. They always knew how to make him feel better when he was scared, and he was so scared right now. His heart skipped a beat every time someone walked past the barrel he was hiding in, and almost screamed when one of them decided to use the barrel as a chair.

"Remind me to never antagonize a Whitebeard Pirate again." Said the fishman seated on top of the barrel.

"You said it. We're going to be licking these wounds for weeks." Said a fishman who was being bandaged up.

"You don't think they'll show up again, do you?" one of them asked just outside of Luffy's limited vision.

"Who knows, but I think it's a safe bet to say that the whole East Blue thing was a bust. We tried with Arlong, and we tried by ourselves, but it didn't work. I say we head back to the Grand Line. We'll think of something to do when we get there." Said the funny elbows guy.

"Agreed." Said Big Lips.

"It's settled then. Head for Reverse Mountain." Another fishman said, and Luffy felt the ship turn somewhat. Luffy inwardly panicked. He couldn't go to the Grand Line without his brothers! He just couldn't!

"I think Hachi had the right idea when he left for Fishman Island."

"I think you're right. He managed to avoid the pummeling of a lifetime, that's for sure."

"I miss his fried octopus ball, though. He made the best."

"Maybe he'll cook us some once we get back."

The mentioning of food made Luffy realize just how hungry he was. His stomach ached with emptiness, and he willed with all of his might for it to stay silent. He really didn't want to be caught.

"Let's eat once we're all bandaged up."

"I'm so hungry I could eat anything right now."

The fishmen continued to talk about food, and Luffy did his best to ignore it. It didn't work, though, and hunger gnawed at his stomach more and more with each sentence. Finally, his stomach had enough, and let out a huge growl. The noise outside stopped, and Luffy held his breath. He hoped beyond hope that they didn't look in the barrel.

"Is it just me, or did this barrel growl?" asked the one that sat on top of it. Luffy heard him get off, and panicked when the barrel started to open.

The top was removed, and he met eyes with a large fishman. He looked at Luffy for a few seconds before he gave a malicious smile. Luffy felt all the blood drain from his face. Something in the back of his mind screamed at him to flee, but his body refused to move.

"Hey guys, it looks like we have a stow-away." He said as he grabbed Luffy by the arm. The sudden motion jerked Luffy out of his trance, and he started to struggle out of the fishman's grip.

"Well, well, well! What do we have here?" asked the funny elbows guy as he crossed his arms.

"Let go of me!" Luffy struggled harder, but only managed to stretch his arm. He dangled a few inches off the ground for a second before his arm retracted.

"Hey, I remember this kid. He's the one Arlong shot." Said someone from the middle of the crowd.

"Yeah, you're right." Said Big Lips.

"He would make us a pretty penny in the slave market." Said the one holding him, and Luffy bit down on his hand.

"Ow!" the fishman let go, and Luffy took off. He had no idea where he would go, but he knew he needed to get away from them.

"Dammit! Someone grab him!" he heard one of them shout. Luffy ran as fast as he could, but the fishmen were faster.

"Gotcha!" Luffy felt himself being tackled from behind.

"Let go of me! Help! Ace! Sabo!" Luffy yelled, and struggled with all of his might.

"Shut up, you brat!" yelled the one holding him. Another fishman punched him in the head, but Luffy hardly felt it.

"You idiot. He's made of rubber. Blunt attacks won't work." Luffy froze when he felt a sword being held to his throat.

"I say we use him as our own personal slave until we sell him at the Sabaody Archipelago." Said the one holding the sword to Luffy's throat.

Luffy's vision went blurry as tears stream down his face. He felt a heavy dread weigh down in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to hear his brothers yell at him for being so stupid. He wanted Ace to bonk him on the head, and call him a dumbass. He wanted Sabo to shake his head in annoyance, and tell him that he was hopeless. He just wanted to be with his brothers, and he hoped they noticed he was missing soon.

XxXxXxXxX

Ace glared at the Whitebeard Pirates as they talked to some of the villagers. Sabo had actually stuck up for them in front of the townspeople, and Ace didn't like it one bit. Sure, the two adults hadn't shown any signs of maliciousness, but that was all a ruse. Ace just knew that they wanted nothing more than to lure him and his brothers into a false sense of security. Once their guards were down, they would attack.

"Would you stop it, Ace? They don't want to attack us!" Sabo said, once he spotted Ace's expression. Ace shifted his gaze over to his brother.

"That's just what they want you to believe." Ace accused. Sabo sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I honestly can't believe you sometimes." Sabo said in a dry tone.

"You'll thank me when they finally reveal their true colors." Ace went back to glaring at his targets.

Sabo threw his hands up in the air, and said, "Why do I even bother?"

Ace ignored him, and continued to watch the Whitebeard pirates in resentment. They may have tricked his Sabo and Luffy, but they didn't fool him. He would personally see to it that they didn't hurt his gullible brothers.

"Hey, aren't they the kids we left Luffy with?" Sabo asked, catching Ace's attention. Ace turned and saw Usopp and Kaya being scolded at by Kaya's mom for some reason. What caught Ace's attention, however, was the fact that a certain straw hatted brother of his wasn't around them.

"Yeah, but I don't see Luffy anywhere." Ace took a step forward.

"Don't tell me he ran off, again." Sabo asked in an exasperated tone.

"C'mon, let's go ask them where they saw him last." Ace sighed, and headed towards the two kids.

"I don't care if he did run off, you should've came a gotten one of us! I mean, what would happen if a fishman had gotten a hold of you?!" Kaya's mom lectured, once they had gotten within ear shot.

"We're sorry." Kaya and Usopp said in unison. They had their heads hung in shame.

"Excuse me, but do any of you know where Luffy is?" Sabo asked once they got close enough. All three turned to face the two brothers.

"You mean he didn't find you guys yet?" Kaya asked. Ace and Sabo shook their heads, and the other two kids suddenly looked worried.

"Uh oh! Kaya, you don't think…" Usopp trailed off.

"But we waited there for several minutes, and he didn't show up." Kaya said with wide eyes.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Ace asked in an annoyed tone.

"Well, it's just that Luffy said something about wanting to see the fishmen's ship and-"

"HE WHAT?!" Ace and Sabo yelled, causing Kaya and Usopp to flinch. Ace felt anger and panic surge through his veins.

"YOU MEAN YOU LET HIM BOARD THE FISHMEN'S SHIP?! HOW COULD YOU?!" Ace yelled and took a step forward. It was their fault! They let Luffy fall into danger.

"Ace!" Sabo yelled, but Ace ignored him.

"DON'T YOU KNOW THAT ONCE HE GET'S AN IDEA INTO HIS BRAIN HE DOESN'T GIVE UP ON IT?!" The other two started to back away from Ace. He was seriously about to bash their skulls in, when Sabo grabbed him from behind.

"W-we didn't mean to! We waited there for a while, but he didn't show up! We thought he gave up, and went to find you guys!" Kaya explained as she backed away further.

"Stop it, Ace!" Sabo yelled, but Ace continued to ignore him. He tried to worm his way out of Sabo's grasp, but he only tightened his hold.

"What's going on?" Marco asked as he and Thatch walked up.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" Ace snarled at the pirates.

"Luffy's on the fishmen's ship!" Usopp yelled.

"HE'S WHAT?!" Thatch yelled in surprise. Marco immediately turned into his phoenix form, and flew into the air.

"COME BACK HERE, DAMMIT!" Ace tried to jump after him, but Sabo started to drag him away. Ace struggled to break free, but Sabo seemed to have tapped into an inner strength Ace didn't know he had. He yelled profanities as Sabo dragged him behind a nearby building, and held him against the wall. Ace felt fire run throughout his body in a rage like never before.

 _SMACK!_

Ace's head was tossed to the side, and his cheek erupted in a strong stinging sensation. Ace was shocked into silence. Sabo had slapped him. _Slapped him!_ In all the years he knew Sabo, not once did he ever slap him. Sure, they broke out into fist fights when they got angry with each other, but he never slapped. Ace gingerly touched his cheek, and faced Sabo with wide, confused eyes.

"WOULD YOU SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH AND LISTEN TO ME FOR FUCKING ONCE?!" Sabo yelled, his face inches from Ace. Ace was absolutely speechless. Sabo never cursed like that! He was too polite to do so!

"Listen to me, Portgas D. Ace. This whole fiasco is _your_ fault! Not Usopp's, not Kaya's, but _yours_!" Sabo said in a chilling tone of voice. Ace was about to refute something, but Sabo covered his mouth.

"No! Don't _fucking_ speak! I'm not in the mood to hear your petty excuses! It's _your_ fault! _You_ were the one who wanted to follow the Whitebeard Pirates to 'teach them a lesson.' _You_ were the one that left Luffy in the care of people who don't know enough about him to know that he never gives up on an idea. All because of _your_ petty, one sided feud with the two people who have done _nothing_ but try to help us this whole time! Sure, they could've gone about a few things differently, but the point still stands! They gave us food back on Conomi Island when we were half-starved. They sailed with us to make sure we were doing okay. They provided food for us every time we ran out so we wouldn't starve. Hell, they had every right to try and kill you when you outright attacked them, but they did nothing more than dodge your attacks! I know you hate to hear this, but they have had our best interest at heart since we met." Sabo took a deep breath, and removed his hand. Ace only blinked owlishly at him. Sabo's words cut deeply into Ace's heart, and he felt guilt starting to trickle into his veins.

"Now Luffy is on a boat full of people that will stop at _nothing_ to hurt, and possibly kill him, and Marco is our _only_ chance of ever seeing him again!" Sabo said in the most serious tone Ace ever heard him use.

"But we-" Ace's mouth was covered once more.

"Don't you _dare_ say that we can go and save Luffy on our own! The fact is, we can't! Even if our small boat magically manages to catch up to their ship, there is _no way_ we can take on a whole pirate crew of fishmen!" Sabo let go of Ace, and backed up a few feet.

"I want to you to sit here, and get your emotions under control. Marco has gone to get Luffy, and will hopefully be back soon. When they do come back, I want you to apologize to Luffy for allowing this to happen to him. I want you to apologize to Usopp and Kaya for trying to put the blame on them, and for leaving Luffy in their care without giving them the slightest hint of what to expect. And I want you to apologize to Thatch and Marco for being nothing but a pain in their butts." Sabo crossed his arms.

Ace would've argued if it weren't for the growing guilt that weighed in his gut. It was all true. Ace was the one that insisted on getting revenge, no matter how small, on the Whitebeard pirates, and the one who decided to leave Luffy alone. He knew how Luffy could get, especially when he got an idea about something, but his hatred for the two adults had blinded him of any possibilities involving Luffy. If they never saw their brother again, Ace would never forgive himself.

"One more thing, I want us to join the Whitebeard Pirates." Sabo said after a few minutes, and Ace gave him an incredulous look. It was one thing to apologize to those guys, but to actually join them?

"Don't give me that look! Today proved to me that we can't sail the seas alone. I thought we could, but look at what happened! If the Whitebeard Pirates weren't there, we would have no hope of ever seeing Luffy again!" Ace flinched at Sabo's tone. It was the tone of someone who had had enough, and Sabo was being truly terrifying at the moment.

Not only that, but Sabo was absolutely right. Luffy would've been a goner if it was just them. The fact that Marco could fly meant that he could catch up the fishmen's ship with ease, and he was obviously strong enough to take care of a handful of fishmen. Ace forced down his rising suspicions of Marco and Thatch. He _had_ to trust these guys if he ever wanted to see Luffy again, and he begrudgingly entertained the possibility being on the same crew.

He looked back at the past several weeks, and tried to see where Sabo was coming from. He had witnessed Thatch and Marco's fight with Arlong, then the rest of his crew. They were obviously strong, and Ace could only assume how easily they could take down him and his brothers. Someone that strong really didn't need to try and lure anyone into a false sense of security to overpower them.

Ace forcefully shoved away the suspicions that plagued his mind when they tried to make themselves known, once more. These pirates that were under Ace's constantly scrutiny were the same ones that had fed them time and again. They could've poisoned the food, but they didn't. Not only that, but Ace had lost count of how many times Thatch dove into the ocean to fish Luffy out, and his reaction time was amazing. Speaking of reaction time, Marco wasted no time at all when he heard Luffy was in danger. He could only imagine the ass kicking that would ensue.

But they were pirates, all the same. He couldn't help but remember the last time he trusted a pirate. It ended with him and Luffy tied up, and threatened with being burned alive. While these guys did earn quite a few points once Ace got to really looking at it, he still couldn't bring himself to join their crew.

"Here's another thing to think about, Ace. Whitebeard is one of the Emperors of the Sea. He and his crew sail around in the most dangerous ocean known to man. They're a lot stronger than we can ever begin to imagine. So why would they even bother with three kids sailing around in the weakest of the seas, unless they had a genuine interest in our safety?" Sabo asked, and then left Ace alone with his thoughts.

Another valid point from Sabo. He was making a lot of sense today, and Ace hated it. He hated the fact that Sabo had made him look at Thatch and Marco in a different light. He hated the fact that he was now second guessing himself. But, most of all, he hated the fact that Luffy was in his situation because Ace couldn't let go of his contempt of the other pirates for one lousy day. He couldn't bring himself to fully trust these guys, but it was his overly suspicious behavior that caused this whole mess.

Ace slid down the wall, and sat on the floor. He wasn't so sure about being on another man's pirate crew, but he knew he had to change his behavior. If anything, just so that a situation like this doesn't happen again. And, he hated to admit it, but Sabo was right when he said that they couldn't sail on their own like they originally thought. If something like this happened while they were alone, then Ace knew he would have to live with never seeing one or both of his brothers again.

Ace felt his resolve strengthen when he thought about all the possible outcomes that would happen if they were still sailing on their own. He didn't like it, but for the sake of his brothers he would swallow his contempt. He vowed to himself that something like this would never happen again, no matter how much it killed him on the inside.


	17. The Storm and the Calm Thereafter

**Surprise! I'm not dead! It just took... _almost seven months?!_ Wow! Where does the time go? So sorry about taking so long to update, guys. I didn't intend for it to take MONTHS to get this chapter up. *sigh* When life gives you lemons, make grape juice and have everyone wonder how you did it. So I hope the wait was worth it!**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

"Luffy's on the fishmen's ship!" the long nosed kid's yell sent Marco into action.

He ignored Thatch's shout of disbelief, and immediately transformed into his phoenix form. It had been a while since the fishmen left, and he had to hurry. Every second he lost was a second Luffy was in imminent danger. He couldn't waste any time.

He flew into the sky with a speed he rarely ever used, and ascended higher and higher until he felt he was at an altitude where he could spot the ship easily. There was a ship off in the northeastern direction, and he took off after them. They were a good distance away now, but Marco knew he could catch up to them in no time flat.

He glared furiously at the ship. Words could not express how enraged he was with the fishmen. He had grown to love the small, straw hatted kid like a little brother. Marco could not, and would not, be held accountable for his actions if any of them even so much as looked at Luffy funny.

"AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUHHH!" came Luffy's scream when Marco got close enough to hear what was going on. His blood ran cold as he heard the cracking of a whip followed by more of Luffy's screaming. The fishmen did nothing more than laugh at the boy's torment.

Marco's rage went up to a new level, and he dive bombed once he was directly over the ship. He saw one fishman holding a whip while he stood over Luffy's small form. The poor kid was shirtless so his bare back could be exposed to the whip, and he had several lashes that were bleeding profusely. His wrist were tethered to the deck, forcing Luffy to hunch forward. His straw hat was being held by another fishman as he taunted the brat.

Marco narrowed his eyes in fury, and specifically aimed for the fishman holding the whip. He attacked with such force that he sent both of them crashing through the deck, and into the storage room below. He changed back into his human form, and glared daggers at the unconscious fishman under him.

"What the hell was that?!" he heard a shout from above.

"I don't know, but I really hope it's not what I think it is." Came the worried voice of one of the occupants above. Marco jumped through the hole, and landed on the deck.

All the fishmen went silent, and gaped at Marco. Marco felt his flames act up as he stared back at all of them. He wanted nothing more than to set each and every one of them on fire, and watch as they writhed in agony. Luffy's condition came first, however. He shifted his gaze over to the small, quivering child. His enraged expression changed to that of concern and sympathy, and he forced his flames to dissipate.

He walked over to Luffy's side. He placed a gentle hand on the kid's head, and the brat flinched at Marco's touch. It took all of Marco's will power to not go berserk on the ones that hurt him.

"Shhhh. It's okay, now. I'm here." Marco said in a soothing voice. Luffy slowly looked up at Marco in disbelief. His eyes were red and puffy, while tears were constantly streaming down his face. His bottom lip quivered as he continued to cry.

"M-M-Marco?" Luffy croaked out in a hoarse voice.

The constant screaming and crying had apparently taken a toll on his voice. Marco wanted to hold the brat tightly in his grip and never let go. He gave his best encouraging smile, and set about to untying Luffy's wrists. Luffy threw himself at the Whitebeard Commander once he was free, and cried into Marco's shirt. Marco wrapped his arms around the small boy. His sleeves were being soaked in blood, but he didn't care at the moment. Luffy needed comfort after the ordeal he went through.

Marco glared at the fishman that was holding the straw hat, causing the other pirate to flinch. He pointed to the hat then held his hand out as if he was receiving something. The fish pirate seemed to understand, and hesitantly placed Luffy's beloved hat in Marco's grasp. The fishman ran to a distance he deemed safe once the object was handed over. Marco put the headwear on Luffy's head, but the kid took no notice as he continued to bawl.

"M-Marco! I w-was so s-s-scared! I thought I-I-I would never s-see you o-or my brothers again!" Luffy blubbered, and Marco continued to hold the brat. He was relieved to have the boy in his arms, but felt unbridled anger towards the fishmen. He couldn't leave Luffy alone to attack the pirates, but that didn't mean they had to go unpunished for their crimes.

"Luffy, we need to get you back to the island so a doctor can look at you. Do you think you can hold onto me while I fly?" Marco asked in his most gentle voice. Luffy only nodded in response.

Marco changed back into his phoenix form, and Luffy unsteadily climbed onto his back. Once he was sure the brat was secure, he flew into the air. He circled around the ship, and flew down close to the water. He used the wing closest to the ship to set it on fire.

"Oh shit! Quick! The damned phoenix is burning our ship!" yelled one of the fishmen.

Marco ignored their panicked yells, and continued to circle back. Each time he would start a fire on a different part of the ship. He kept it up until he was satisfied that the ship would burn until it was nothing but ash. He really wanted to do more damage to the fishmen, but that would be impossible without putting Luffy in more danger.

He turned back towards the island. Luffy continued to cry as he buried his face in Marco's back. Marco didn't mind. The poor kid had a rough day, and needed to let all of his emotional turmoil out. They flew in silence as the frantic yells of the fishmen grew further and further away. Luffy's crying gradually turned into sniveling.

"Hey, Luffy. You know what I just noticed?" Marco asked.

"Mmm?" was Luffy's response.

"That was the first time you called me by name." Marco turned his head to look at Luffy. The kid raised himself up, and looked at Marco with watery eyes.

He gave a small smile and said, "Heh, I guess it was."

XxXxXxXxX

Sabo stood next to Thatch as they looked in the sky for a certain phoenix carrying a certain little brother. He had already spent his anger when he slapped some sense into Ace, and now he only felt worried stiff for his missing brother.

"They've been gone a while. Do you think they're okay?" Kaya asked in concern.

"Yeah, Marco can handle himself just fine, and he wouldn't let anything happen to Luffy while he's there." Thatch reassured the blonde girl.

"Hey, there they are!" Sabo yelled as he spotted a blue and yellow phoenix fly towards them. He felt relief sink into his bones when he saw a straw hatted boy on Marco's back. He landed in the midst of the crowd, and Sabo ran towards them. He had to see Luffy.

He got to the front of the crowd and stopped. Marco was human again with Luffy in his arms, but his little brother wasn't looking too good. He was missing his shirt, and his back was caked in blood. The redness of his blood was a stark contrast to his paling. He clung to Marco like a lifeline, and was sniveling like he had been crying pretty hard.

"Luffy?" Sabo asked and took a few steps forward.

"Sabo?" Luffy sniffled looking tired from blood loss.

"Is anyone a doctor? He needs treatment." Marco said suddenly, causing Sabo to jump. A man ran forward, and checked Luffy.

"I have good news, and bad news. The good news is: we can treat him easily. We just have to wash his wounds to prevent an infection, and give him a little extra blood to make up for what he lost." The doctor said after looking Luffy over.

"And the bad news?" Thatch asked as he took a step forward.

"The fishmen completely destroyed my office and medical supplies. I don't have a place or equipment to treat him with." The doctor shook his head sadly.

"Will our ship's cabin work as a doctor's office?" Marco asked.

"Does it have an actual bed, and not a hammock?" The doctor questioned.

"Yeah, it does."

"What about medical supplies? Do you have those?"

"We have some to help clean and bandage the wounds. However, we don't have anything to transfuse blood."

"That's fine. He didn't lose enough for it to be fatal, but it will take a bit longer for him to recover." The doctor waved his hand in dismissal, and Sabo breathed a sigh of relief. Luffy had survived worse when he was taken by Porchemy, but it was comforting to hear from a doctor that he was going to be okay.

"Lead the way." The doctor gestured, and Marco carried Luffy off toward their ship.

Sabo followed them. He wanted to be there for Luffy. His poor brother had been through a lot, and he needed the moral support. Sabo couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for Luffy's condition. If he had just stood his ground and told Ace "no" then they would have been there to stop Luffy from getting on that ship.

His thoughts traveled to his hot headed brother. Ace really was too stubborn for his own good. Sabo felt sorta bad for yelling like he did, but Ace had to be reached somehow. He did regret telling Ace to join the Whitebeard Pirates, though. While it was okay for them to tag along for safety, it wasn't right to force Ace to be somebody else's subordinate. Sabo was angry and on a roll, so he overstepped a boundary. Once Ace was done thinking things through, he would apologize.

They reached the ship, and Sabo snapped out of his musings as they walked up onto the deck. Marco led the doctor to the cabin with Luffy in his arms.

"I know you're concerned, but you should wait out here while Luffy gets treated." Thatch said, and Sabo nodded. He needed to be out of the way for them to properly work on Luffy. Satisfied, Thatch turned around, and went into the cabin as well.

Sabo plopped down next to the railing, and patiently waited. Luffy had a lot of wounds on his back. Sabo frowned deeply, and stared at the wall across from him. He hoped to never see Luffy like that ever again. His little brother was supposed to be cheerful, and annoying them with his endless energy. Not soaked in his own blood.

A noise brought Sabo back to reality. He looked to the side, and saw Ace standing there. He looked at Sabo with guilt filled eyes, and Sabo felt his own guilt grow.

Ace cleared his throat and said, "Usopp and Kaya said you guys were headed this way."

"Yeah, Luffy got beat up pretty badly so a doctor is looking at him." Sabo said, not meeting his gaze.

"Oh." Was all Ace said. An awkward silence filled the air as Ace looked around, unsure of what he was supposed to do.

"Look, Ace, I wanted to apologize." Sabo said after an uncomfortably long time.

"Why are you sorry? You were right. It's all my fault." Ace said, surprise evident in his voice.

"Well, yeah, but I wanted to apologize for trying to make you join a crew you didn't want to be a part of." Sabo drew circles on the ground with one of his fingers.

"But you were right on that part too. We can't sail the seas alone." Ace took a step closer.

"We can't sail the seas alone, but there's a big difference between sailing with people and joining a crew." Sabo said, and looked Ace in the eye. Ace seemed taken aback, and Sabo didn't blame him. He had pretty much laid out all of Ace's wrong doings no too long ago, and now he was apologizing for it.

"Okay, you have a point. And, I forgive you." Ace said, and sat next to Sabo. Things lapsed into silence again, but this time was a lot more comfortable than the last. Now they were enjoying each other's company as they waited for their little brother's treatment to be done with.

"So, how bad did Luffy look?" Ace asked.

Sabo was about to answer when the door opened up. Thatch was carrying a few bloody towels, and walked over to the kitchen. The door remained open, and Ace got to see Luffy's condition. Luffy was being held in an upright position while the doctor placed an ointment of some sort over the wounds, which appeared to have stopped bleeding. Sabo looked at Ace, and saw that his older brother had gone pale in the face. His eyes followed the doctor's hands as he worked.

"Ace?" Sabo asked trying to shake the freckled kid out of his trance.

"Did the fishmen do this to him?" Ace asked coldly. His fists were clenched, and he shook with rage.

"Yeah, they did." Sabo answered.

"I see." Ace said, and appeared to be pondering on something. He finally sighed, and relaxed his muscles.

"Did Marco kick their asses into next week?" Ace asked.

"I assume so. I haven't had the chance to ask him yet." Sabo looked back over to Luffy. The doctor was bandaging him up now. Thatch walked out of the kitchen empty handed, and stopped next to the two brothers.

"It looks like they're almost done. You can go in there if you want to." Thatch said. Ace and Sabo shared a glance, and nodded. They stood up and slowly walked into the room. Luffy had fallen asleep sometime during his treatment. He snored loudly while the doctor put the finishing touches on the bandages. Sabo didn't blame him for falling asleep so easily. He had an emotionally and physically taxing day. Anyone would be exhausted after that.

"He needs to stay off of his back for a while. We don't need these wounds to reopen." The doctor instructed, and put the medical equipment up.

"We can't thank you enough for treating him." Marco said, and carried Luffy over to the bed in the corner of the room. He laid him on his side, and pulled the blanket over his shoulder.

"Don't mention it. I just want to know if it's really okay to take the rest of your medical supplies to help out the town." The doctor turned to the Whitebeard Pirate. Sabo and Ace walked up to the bed, and watched Luffy as he slept.

Sabo tuned out the conversation between the three adults in the room. He reached out, and gently ruffled Luffy's hair underneath his hat. He couldn't believe how close they came to losing him today. He inwardly promised Luffy that something like this would never happen to him again.

"He looks pretty peaceful considering what happened today." Said a voice behind them. Sabo turned and saw the Whitebeard Commanders behind them. The doctor had just stepped out of the door with a handful of medical supplies.

"Yeah, he does." Sabo turned back to his brother. It didn't surprise Sabo that Luffy was sleeping so peacefully. Luffy had always been a heavy sleeper.

"Um…" Ace said in a hesitant voice. All attention was directed toward the hot headed kid. Sabo got a good look at his face, and saw that he was having an inward struggle. Sabo knew he was trying to find a way to apologize, and figured that he needed a push in the right direction.

"Do you have something to say, Ace?" Sabo asked, prompting his brother to continue. Ace took a deep breath, and turned to face the pirates.

"I'msorryformybehaviortowardsyouguys!" Ace yelled very quickly. The two adults looked at each other in confusion.

"I'm sorry, but we didn't quite catch that." Thatch said, and they looked down at Ace, who looked like he swallowed a ball of thumb tacks.

"Say it slower this time." Sabo encouraged, and Ace took another deep breath.

"I said, I'm sorry for my behavior towards you guys." Ace said without meeting Marco or Thatch's gaze. Sabo suppressed a laugh when he saw their astonished faces. He didn't think eyes could get so big.

"Did he just…" Thatch trailed off after a few seconds.

"Yeah, he did." Marco answered.

"Pinch me, I must be dreaming." Thatch said as if he was in a daze.

"I don't think you're dreaming, but I'm pretty sure pigs around the world have just learned how to fly." Marco said in the same daze.

"That's it! The world is ending!" Thatch threw his hands up, and Marco elbowed him.

"Ow! Can't you take a joke?" Thatch asked while he rubbed his ribs. Marco rolled his eyes, and squatted down to Ace's level.

"That was a very big step you took, Ace. We accept your apology." Marco said with a small smile. Ace didn't look at him, and Sabo frowned.

"Uh, Ace. Isn't there something else you would like to ask?" Sabo prompted once more.

Ace took a third deep breath, and asked, "Do you guys mind if we sail with you?"

Ace looked like he was slowly dying on the inside with each word he spoke, and the two adults looked like they were ready to faint. Sabo was barely able to hold back his mirth.

"I stand corrected. Not only is the world ending, but all of time and space too!" Thatch said, as he slumped into a nearby chair in disbelief.

"We don't want to join your crew or anything! We just realized that…" Ace trailed off, and everyone seemed to understand what was left unsaid. Marco blinked several times, and his smile returned.

"Of course. You were always welcome on our ship." Marco said, and ruffled Ace's hair. Ace flinched, but didn't do anything more. Sabo was impressed with his sudden self-control.

"I have to tell Pops the good news!" Thatch suddenly exclaimed, and he bolted out of the door.

Ace looked like he was ready to fight, but he held it back. Sabo smiled to himself. He was glad to see that he finally reached Ace. While it may take a while to completely suppress his fighting instinct, it was good to know that he was at least trying to be civil towards the people that helped them out the most on their adventures.

XxXxXxXxX

"So… the brats want to come aboard, huh?" Whitebeard asked while holding the transponder snail.

"Yeah, but only as guests. They have no intention of joining." Came Thatch's voice from said snail.

"And what about the youngest brat? Is he doing okay?" Jozu asked from the crowd that gathered to listen in on the news of the three kids.

"The doctor said he should be fine after some bedrest." Whitebeard felt a rush of relief when he heard Marco's reply. He was worried that the worst had become of the brat when he was taken away.

"Did you give the fishmen a good thrashing for us, Marco?" Izo asked.

"I wanted to smash all of their skulls open, but Luffy wasn't looking too good. So I settled for setting their ship on fire." Marco answered.

Whitebeard nodded and said, "Good job, my son. I will be sure to pay closer attention to the East Blue for the next few weeks just in case they make a comeback."

"By the way, Marco, Thatch, we just entered the East Blue a few hours ago." Vista said, bringing a lighter note to the conversation.

"That's great news! We plan on helping this village recover a little from the fishman's tyranny as well as giving Luffy some time to recoup. Do you want to meet up here, or somewhere else?" Thatch asked.

"How about the Baratie? I planned on giving that Red Leg brat a visit while I was here." Whitebeard answered.

"Then it's settled. We'll see you in about a week and a half." Thatch said.

"Be safe, my sons."

"You too, Pops."

 _Gacha_


	18. Trying to Apologize at Midnight

**What?! A fairly quick upload?! Yes! I'm back in my writing groove! I'm sure you're all excited for the plans I have in store. I know I'm excited to be writing them again. Even if this chapter isn't the best... and it's short... But I'm optimistic! I hope you enjoy!**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

"It's Whitebeard!"

"What's Whitebeard doing here?!"

"I'm getting out of here!"

Various customers yelled when one of them spotted Whitebeard's ship approaching the sea restaurant. Zeff had just walked out of the kitchen when the commotion started, and frowned at the people leaving. It wasn't that they didn't pay. Zeff couldn't care less if they paid for their food or not. No, he was upset that they were leaving plates full of good food behind.

"Hey! You bastards had better come back here, and eat the rest of that food!" Zeff sighed as he held Sanji back from the retreating customers.

"Relax, Little Eggplant. We can use what's left to feed the approaching pirate crew." Zeff said, and Sanji calmed down after hearing that the food would not be wasted. Then he stopped as if something dawned on him.

"Wait, did they say that Whitebeard was here?!" Sanji asked with a wide eye.

Zeff walked over to the window to see for himself. There was a chance that it would be Whitebeard, but there were a lot of people out there who wouldn't hesitate to imitate a famous pirate crew to take advantage of people. He looked out the window and saw that it was indeed the Moby Dick.

"It appears that he is, though I have no idea why he's in the East Blue of all places." Zeff said, and turned to Sanji who looked like he was about to pass out from shock. The old chef waited for Sanji to snap out of his stupor.

"Why is he here?!" Sanji yelled.

"Didn't you just hear me say that I don't know?" Zeff responded in annoyance, and walked out front to meet the oncoming Emperor.

Sanji followed, and the chef studied the small sous-chef's expression. While he was still getting over some shock, he held only a hint of fear. Zeff didn't hold it against him, though. Any child would be intimidated if they were going to cook for the strongest man in the world. No, he was actually rather proud of the Little Eggplant for not showing any signs of running. Not that he would let the brat know what he was feeling, of course.

All of the boats the other customers arrived in were long gone by the time the Moby Dick had docked at the restraunt. Zeff waited patiently for one of the Whitebeard pirates to say something, and Sanji stood rigidly next to him. Soon Whitebeard himself came into view.

"Long time, no see, Red Leg." He greeted.

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" Zeff called back.

"Wait, you've met him before?!" Sanji questioned in shock.

"We've had a few run-ins." Zeff answered.

"I seem to remember you being on the losing end of each run-in." Whitebeard said, and Zeff couldn't help but smirk. He was younger and more reckless back then, and had foolishly challenged Whitebeard to several duels. He lost all of them.

"Those were the days. So, what are you doing here in the East Blue? I don't really see you coming all the way over here to pay me a random visit." Zeff asked.

"You'd be right to assume that. While I was curious after I heard you lost your leg, I'm afraid another matter has brought me to this sea." Whitebeard got off his ship, and stood before the two chefs. Sanji was staring up at the giant of a man in awe.

"Shall we discuss this further over a hot meal?" Zeff offered.

"I thought you'd never offer." The pirate captain smirked, and led a good chunk of his crew inside. Zeff thought Sanji's eyes were going to fall out if they got any wider.

"Come on, brat. We have a lot of food to prepare." Zeff said, shaking the child out of his trance, before he walked in the restraunt, himself.

XxXxXxXxX

Garp stared at Sengoku in shock of what he just said. Whitebeard had been spotted in the East Blue, and no one knew why. It didn't sound like Whitebeard to just come to the weakest sea for no reason. He had no territories there, nor did it seem like he was interested. It made no sense.

"We do have earlier reports of Whitebeard's commanders coming to the East Blue. Apparently they took out Arlong, who was about to enslave an island. They were spotted at other islands around that area according to various reports from citizens. We have no idea what this means. So, we need to handle this with care. The World Government can't afford to go to war with Whitebeard without a really good reason." Sengoku finished, and Garp felt a twinge of worry.

The Whitebeard Pirates' activities were close to Dawn Island, and by extension, his three grandsons. He knew it would be out of character for any of Whitebeard's crew to attack an innocent person, but they were still pirates. The last "good" pirate that appeared in the East Blue was that Red Haired brat, and he influence Luffy to become a pirate. That settled it for Garp.

"Fine, I'll go see what he's up to." Garp said, and stood up.

"Garp, this is serious. You know as well as I do that you can't take Whitebeard lightly. One wrong move could cause a catastrophe that we are trying to avoid." Sengoku said in a warning tone.

"Relax, I've dealt with Newgate before, and besides, I want to visit my grandsons too." Garp said, and paused. Whoops, he let it slip that he had grandsons… again.

"Forget that last part." Garp said while he turned to the wall.

"Well can you at least-" Garp interrupted what Sengoku was going to say by punching a large hole in the wall.

"…use the door this time." Sengoku finished with a defeated sigh.

Garp ignored Sengoku's mumblings of paperwork, and walked out the hole he just made. He was worried for the three troublemakers back in the East Blue. He hoped that they had the sense to stay away if Whitebeard's commanders did, indeed stop on Dawn Island. If he knew the brats, they wouldn't. He picked up the pace, and prayed to every god he knew that they were still on that island.

XxXxXxXxX

"But I'm boooooorrrrreeeedddd!" Luffy whined.

He was stuck in bed until his wounds healed, by doctor's orders. He thought it was stupid. His wounds didn't hurt so much anymore, and he was tired of being stuck in one place for a long time. He would've snuck out earlier, but either Thatch or Marco would be keeping watch over him to make sure he didn't do just that. He was itching to go out and see the island again. At least his brothers, Usopp, and Kaya were keeping him company.

"Cheer up, Luffy. The doctor said that you were healing really fast, and you can leave bed in a few days." Kaya said with a small smile.

"But that's when we're leeeeeaaaaaavvvvvviiiiiiing!" Luffy whined again.

"Hey, why don't I cheer you up with a tale about one of my many adventures?" Usopp suggested while sticking his chest out.

"But I wanna explore the iiiiissssslllllaaaaaaannd!" Luffy whined again. Usopp's stories helped entertain him the past few days, but he was fed up with staying in the same spot.

"Luffy…" Ace said with annoyance, and Luffy turned to look at him.

Ace stopped what he was going to say when they made eye contact, and Luffy frowned. Ace had been acting weird ever since he came back from the fishman's ship. He refused to hit Luffy for anything, and even seemed to avoid yelling at him. This confused Luffy since Ace was always yelling about something. He wanted to ask Sabo what happened, but he didn't answer and would always change the subject. Luffy didn't like this. Something happened to his brothers, and they wouldn't tell him anything. This only made Luffy even more frustrated than he already was.

"I know! How about a game?" Sabo suggested.

"But the only games we can play are really boring ones that don't involve moving." Luffy pouted. He was going to explode if he didn't get out of his bed soon.

Marco sighed deeply and suggested, "What if I carried you? That way you can explore the island without needlessly exerting yourself."

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered. He may not be able to run around, but anything was better than staying stuck in one place.

"What about his wounds?" Ace protested.

"Look, he's not going to stop whining until he leaves this room. If we do it like this, he won't get hurt. And I don't know about you, but his complaining was getting on my last nerve." Marco said while he lowered himself so Luffy could climb on his back.

"Fair enough." Sabo said while Luffy got comfortable on Marco's back.

"I know, Luffy! I can take you to the spot where I wrestled the giant penguin that was trying to steal the town's money!" Usopp said, and Luffy smiled widely.

"Yeah! Can we, Marco? Can we?" Luffy begged into Marco's ear.

"I don't see why not." Marco shrugged

"Yay! Lead the way Usopp!" Luffy demanded, and he saw the outside for the first time in days.

XxXxXxXxX

Ace leaned against the headboard of the bed he and his brothers were sharing. Well, it was originally Luffy who was going to sleep in it, but his youngest brother insisted that he and Sabo slept with him. He gazed at Luffy's sleeping form fondly.

Of course, he was probably still scared from what those damned fishmen did to him. Just thinking about it made his blood boil, and then it froze when he remembered that the whole fiasco was his fault to begin with. He didn't understand why Luffy still wanted him as a brother after he let that happen to him, but he was just as bright and cheerful as ever toward him. If Ace was in his shoes, he would never speak to himself again. He didn't deserve Luffy's forgiveness.

"Ace?" Luffy's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Go back to sleep, Luffy. You need your rest." Ace said while Luffy rubbed his eyes.

"But what about you? You aren't sleeping either." Luffy sat up, and Ace refused to meet his gaze.

"Ace, what happened?" Luffy asked in the most serious voice Ace ever heard from him. Ace continued to look away, and didn't answer.

"I know something happened. You and Sabo have been acting weird ever since I came back from the fishman's ship. Why won't you tell me what happened?" Ace's heart skipped a beat. He thought Luffy didn't notice his odd behavior. He remained silent for several more seconds.

"Fine! Don't tell me then! See if I care!" Luffy yelled, apparently fed up with not being answered, and Ace flinched.

"It's not that Ace doesn't want to tell you, Lu. He just doesn't know how." Sabo spoke up. How long had he been awake?

"Well, why don't you start from the beginning? That's always a good place to start." Luffy said, sounding a little better when he knew he wasn't purposefully being excluded.

"It's not that easy, Luffy." Ace said gazing at his knees.

"Sure it is." Luffy said.

"How about you start with the thing you have yet to tell him?" Sabo suggested pointedly. He was trying to get Ace to apologize. Ace took a deep breath, and looked into Luffy's expectant eyes.

"Luffy…. I'm sorry." Ace said, and Luffy tilted his head in confusion.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Luffy asked.

"For letting this," Ace gestured to Luffy's wounds, "happen to you."

"Huh? But you didn't do that! The fishmen did!" Luffy frowned.

"But I let it happen! I was the one that left you with Usopp, and Kaya when I knew you were likely to run off! If I had put my hatred for Marco and Thatch aside for that one afternoon then I would've stopped you from getting on that ship!" Ace yelled, and Luffy's frown deepened.

"But I was the one that got on the ship. I let this happen to myself." Luffy said.

"No! I should've stopped you! I'm the one that messed up!" Ace tried to get Luffy to understand.

"I'm so confused." Luffy said, and appeared to be trying to piece everything together.

"He's upset because he convinced me to go with him, leaving you all alone." Sabo said, and Ace gave him a thankful look.

"Oh, is that all? Don't worry about that, Ace. Everything is all better now, and I even got Usopp to join my crew because of it!" Luffy said, his smile returning to his face. Ace face palmed when he heard that. How was it that Luffy got a future crewmate with every island they visited?

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me." Sabo said in an amused tone.

"Cheer up, Ace. Everything is fine now, and we're together again." Luffy said while pulling all three of them into a group hug. Somehow, Luffy managed to oversimplify the situation, and had proved to have long since forgiven Ace. Ace felt a warm feeling in his heart. What did he ever do to deserve a brother like Luffy?

"Now that that's settled, let's all get some sleep. We leave tomorrow." Sabo suggested once the hug was over.

"Right! Goodnight, Ace, Sabo!" Luffy said, and plopped back down into a lying position.

"Night." Ace and Sabo replied to at the same time.

Ace got into a comfortable position, and stared at the ceiling. Luffy always seemed to amaze him with his forgiving nature. He truly didn't deserve him, but there he was, regardless of all of Ace's flaws and shortcomings. Ace vowed then and there to make sure that Luffy was never in a position like that again because of him. He would also do his best to be a brother that Luffy deserved. He would reach those goals even if it cost him his life. Luffy was just that special.

XxXxXxXxX

"Bye everyone!" Luffy called out to the crowd of people that gathered to see them off.

Luffy, Ace, and Sabo had taken all of their belongings from the small boat, and brought them to the ship that they would take to meet Whitebeard in. Sabo had even taken down their Jolly Roger to hang up in their room. They were still the ASL Pirates after all. They were just sailing with friends until further notice.

"Goodbye, and thanks for all your help!" shouted Mr. Rutherford, Kaya's dad.

"Hey, Usopp! Don't forget that I'm coming back in ten years, so be ready for me! Okay?" Luffy yelled.

"Yeah! I'll be the greatest captain ever!" Usopp yelled back.

"I'm the captain, idiot!" Luffy yelled back.

"He'll be the best sniper ever!" Kaya corrected for him.

"Yeah!" the both of them shouted.

"Take care, everyone!" Thatch called, and the cheering started to fade as they drifted further away.

"Where are we going, Marco?" Luffy asked once he couldn't make out what the villagers were saying.

"To a sea restaurant called, The Baratie." Marco said, and Luffy got excited.

"Ace, Sabo, did you hear that?! We're going to a place with food!" Luffy cheered.

"That's great, Luffy." Sabo said with a smile.

"I bet they have better food than what Thatch can make." Ace said, and Luffy laughed at Thatch's annoyed groan.

"Yeah! I can't wait!"


	19. At Last

**I'm not dead! Yay! I'm so sorry, everyone! I have been getting so distracted with school, and moving that this fanfic legitimately left my mind for several months. Seriously! I had forgotten that this existed for months! I cannot apologize enough for my forgetful** **behavior. Hopefully this chapter will help to make amends. I hope you enjoy it!**

 **I do not own One Piece!**

Luffy stared up at the giant ship with the whale figurehead. They had just docked at the sea restaurant, and Luffy had been unable to tear his eyes away from Whitebeard's ship since it first came into view. It was the biggest ship he had seen so far, and he wanted to explore it so badly. The only thing that held him back was the smell of food coming from the fish restaurant. He wanted to see all that the ship had, but he was so hungry! It had been forever since Thatch cooked breakfast! But the ship was so big!

"I knew the Moby Dick was big, but I didn't think it was _this_ huge." Sabo said from his left.

"Do you think Whitebeard is up on the deck?" Ace asked from his right.

"Nah. Pops is inside." Marco told them, and Luffy snapped out of his daze. Whitebeard still hadn't accepted his offer to join his crew. Luffy decided that the giant ship could wait.

"Right! Let's go in!" Luffy cheered, and ran in at top speed.

"LUFFY!" Ace and Sabo yelled and tried to grab him.

Luffy was too fast for them, though. He barged in through the doors, and all activity inside the restaurant stopped. There was a whole bunch of pirates sitting at all the tables, and eating food. Then Luffy spotted the biggest man he had ever seen in his entire life sitting at a table in the corner. He had a white mustache that looked like a banana, and was looking at him with an unreadable expression.

"Whoa! You're huge, Banana Man!" Luffy yelled with stars in his eyes. All the pirates, including Marco, Thatch, and his brothers, all gave him a wide-eyed stare. Luffy wondered what was wrong with them, when they, except his brothers, all started to laugh.

"Eh? What's so funny?" Luffy asked, and received a punch from Sabo.

"You idiot! You just called Whitebeard 'Banana Man'!" he yelled, and Luffy's eyes widened in surprise.

"You mean that's Whitebeard?! But he doesn't have a beard! He has a banana-stache!" Luffy exclaimed, and the pirates laughed harder.

"It's just a title, Luffy!" Ace yelled, and then Luffy remembered why he ran in at top speed.

"Hey, Bananabeard! Join my crew!" Luffy yelled, and many pirates fell onto the floor because they were laughing so hard.

"Gurarara! Bananabeard?! You cheeky brat!" Whitebeard laughed, and the pirates started to calm down.

"So is that a yes or a no?" Luffy asked, and a few more pirates gave amused chuckles.

"Where did you find these kids, Marco?" a guy with a top hat and swords asked as he wiped away a tear.

"On the island with Arlong." Thatch answered.

"So, you brats want to sail with us, huh?" Whitebeard asked them with a smile, and Luffy frowned.

"You didn't answer my question, old man." Luffy said in a serious tone, and Whitebeard gave him an amused look.

"The answer is 'no'." he said, and Luffy deflated some.

"See! I told you he didn't want to join your crew." Ace reminded him, and Luffy pouted.

"Well, it's about time the remaining crew showed up." Said a peg leg guy with a braided mustache. He walked in with a blond kid, and both of them were carrying plates of food. Luffy's stomach growled, and he remembered that he still needed to eat lunch.

"FOOD!" He cheered and ran up to the two newcomers.

"Hey! Wait your turn! You'll get your food!" The blond kid yelled and used one of his legs to keep Luffy from grabbing a plate. Luffy ignored him, and stretched his arm to grab a plate with meat on it.

"What the hell?!" The kid yelled, and Luffy scarfed down the morsel of food.

"That was great! I want more of that!" Luffy proclaimed and both the kid and peg leg looked at him in surprise.

"Y-You actually liked it?" the kid stuttered in amazement.

"Yeah!" Luffy smiled and grabbed the second plate to eat too.

"That was one of Sanji's plates. The meat was overcooked and under seasoned. Yet you still liked it?" Peg leg asked, and Luffy nodded with a full mouth.

"Who's Sanji?" Sabo asked while eat a plate he had stolen from peg leg. Ace had the other plate.

"When did you brats-"

"I'm Sanji. Did you really like my cooking?" the kid interrupted peg leg in an astonished tone.

"You made that? That was amazing! Join my crew, and become my chef!" Luffy insisted, and Sanji gave him a frown.

"Stop messing with me! There was a lot wrong with that dish! Admit it!" Sanji yelled.

"Luffy can't lie to save his life. Believe me, he's telling the truth." Ace said, and demanded more food from peg leg.

Sanji looked from Ace, to Luffy, and back again. Then his gaze finally rested on Luffy, who was still waiting for his answer.

"I'm happy that you actually like my cooking, but I have to decline." He said, and Luffy pouted.

"Eh? Why?" Luffy asked.

"I have my reasons." Sanji said and his gaze shifted to peg leg's peg leg.

"I refuse." Luffy said with a determined gaze.

"What do you mean you refuse?" Sanji blinked at him in confusion.

"I refuse your refusal. I will accept no one else to be my chef." Luffy said with a smile.

"You can't just decide that!" Sanji yelled.

"Too late! I've made up my mind!" Luffy said, and snatched an unguarded plate from a nearby table.

"Can you not hear me?! I said no!" Sanji was turning red with frustration.

"Give it up, kid. There's no stopping Luffy once he's made up his mind." Sabo said, eating his fourth plate.

"Would you brats stop stealing our food?!" shouted one of the pirates.

"One way or another, I will get you to agree to join my crew!" Luffy said with a mouthful of food. Sanji gave an exasperated snort, and walked back into the kitchen.

"I don't know how you did it, but you managed to find one last candidate for the Luffy Pirates before leaving the East Blue." Ace said in a surprised tone.

"Yup! I wish I had found my musician, but at least I have my chef." Luffy said with a smile.

"Why are you so determined to find a musician?" Marco asked with an amused tone.

"Because pirates love to sing!" Luffy exclaimed and a few pirates chuckled.

"Something tells me that things are going to be a lot more interesting from now on." Said a guy wearing a lot of makeup.

"They sure are."

XxXxXxXxX

"The Baratie is in sight, sir!" a young marine saluted Garp who nodded him away.

He stared at the slowing growing restaurant in confusion. Why would Whitebeard come to the East Blue to eat at a restaurant? It made no sense whatsoever. And the fact that some of his men were seen around these parts for a while only served to confuse the marine further. They didn't attack any civilians, nor did they steal from anyone. Was this some roundabout way of challenging the World Government?

Garp used his Observation Haki to get a feel of how many of Whitebeard's men were inside, when all the blood in his body froze over. Inside the restaurant amid the pirates were three very familiar brats. Garp could sense that they weren't in any danger, but the fact that they were with the pirates was enough to scare Garp. If headquarters got word of this, there would be nothing he could do to save them from the World Government. He had to get them back to Dawn Island at all costs.

The ship docked, and Garp approached the outside wall. He could sense the pirates getting ready for combat, and hiding the three confused brats under a table. Garp blew on his fist and punched a large hole in the wall. Wood splintered, and dust clouded the air. All the pirates were tense and ready for Garp to make his move. But he wasn't interested in them at the moment. The dust settled and everyone could see clearly.

"I see the marines couldn't keep their noses in their own business for long. What are you doing here, Garp?" Whitebeard asked while standing up.

"GRAMPS?!" Luffy's yell of shock was immediately followed by shushes and whispers, but it was useless. Garp already knew they were there.

"What do you mean 'Gramps'?!" a nearby pirate, Jozu, asked in surprise. All of the other pirates looked on with widened eyes.

"You three! What do you think you're doing with a bunch of pirates?!" Garp demanded while looking at the table they were currently hiding under.

"We sailed off and became pirates of our own, you shitty geezer!" Ace yelled and came out from under the table.

"And there's nothing you can do about it!" Sabo challenged as he followed suit.

"Yeah!" Luffy couldn't help but chip in.

Garp felt tick marks form on his forehead. Did these brats not realize what they were doing? Becoming pirates was the worst thing they could do!

"Stop saying shit like that! You three are going to become strong marines someday! You need to move past this pointless idea of becoming pirates!" Garp yelled back.

"It's not pointless!" Luffy shouted from behind Ace.

"How many times do we have to tell you, we aren't going to become marines?!" he glared at Garp.

"Looks like I have to reintroduce you three to my Fists o' Love!" Garp used shave to move forward, and pounded the trio with his fists.

"Ow! That hurt, Gramps!" Luffy whined while he rubbed the newly formed bump.

"I don't know how you three got off of Dawn Island, but you're going back. And I'm going to train you to become marines." Garp said with finality.

"Then we will sail off again! We aren't going to stay on that island any longer!" Ace growled, and Garp felt his anger and concern grow.

"Then I will have to hunt you down, and drag you back home!" Garp said and the four of them glared at each other.

"Garp, I know it isn't my place to interrupt a family matter, but do you really think taking these three brats back to that island is the safest thing to do?" Whitebeard chimed in and Garp's glare shifted from the trio of brats to the old pirate.

"Don't try to advise me on how to raise my grandsons, Whitebeard!" Garp stared him down.

"I understand that they're your family, and I respect that. But listen to me, these three brats have sailed away once already. They have had a taste of life at sea, and they aren't going to give that up. You say you're going to hunt them down, and bring them back when they set sail again. But what happens to them if you can't make it to them in time. You would've already lost one had my sons not been there to help them out." With every word Whitebeard said, Garp only felt angrier and angrier. The thing that angered him most was the fact that he was making sense. The three brats were stubborn enough to keep sailing out every time he left, and he couldn't bring them with him. That would only be hand delivering them to the World Government to be executed. And this whole fiasco only proved that Dadan could no longer be trusted to care for the three. Garp was at a loss.

"Here's another thing to consider, my crew and I are already invested in the well-being of these three. I won't stop you from taking your family if you so choose, but we will fight to get them back once they leave." Whitebeard said with a serious tone. Great, so Whitebeard already considered the brats to be his sons. Garp's shoulders slumped. He could always try to fight, but this was a matter that Whitebeard was willing to go to war for. Not to say Garp wasn't too, but a skirmish this big will definitely bring the attention of the World Government to the three brats. And that was something Garp had tried to avoid for a little over ten years now.

Garp weighed his options carefully. He could go through with what he said he would do, but Whitebeard was more than likely going to go through with his threat. Garp needed to avoid that if possible, but the only other option was to leave the brats in the care of Whitebeard. Every inch of his being screamed at him to not go with this option, but it was the only plausible way out he could see. Whitebeard was the strongest man in the world, and would stop at nothing to protect the three from other dangers. Not to mention how strong they would become in the New World.

"Tell me this, Newgate… If I leave the brats in your care, do you promise to keep their existences a secret? The World Government would stop at nothing to attack and execute them if they learn about them." Garp said in as serious of a tone as he could muster. Whitebeard gave him a long, hard look.

"You have my word as a Pirate that they will remain a secret." Garp briefly wondered how honorable a pirate's word was before he shook it off. He knew that Whitebeard would keep his promise, even if it meant risking his life.

"Very well. I will leave them in your care, but under one condition."

"And that would be?"

"You have to let me visit them from time to time. Just because I'm letting them sail with pirates doesn't mean I'll let them become pirates." Garp said, and the brats started yelling about how they were going to be pirates no matter what. Garp ignored them, and waited for Whitebeard's response.

"I would never separate family members from each other. You have my permission to visit them whenever you wish." Whitebeard sat back down, and the atmosphere became more relaxed.

"Great, now that the matter of the brats is settled, what are you going to do about my wall?" Zeff said from the doorway to the kitchen.

"I've got it covered. Private! Bring up the wood, hammer, and nails!" Garp ordered a nearby private who saluted him and ran off to do just that.

"Who would've thought that the brats we picked up would be related to Garp the Hero." Marco said from Whitebeard's side.

"Let me ask you this. Were my grandsons the reason why you're in the East Blue?" Garp asked.

"Yes, they are. Marco and Thatch spotted them on an island, and followed them around for their safety." Whitebeard explained.

"I see. So that's why we've been receiving reports of Whitebeard Pirates in the East Blue." Garp said, and started repairing the wall he busted.

"What are you going to tell Headquarters?" Thatch asked.

"I'll just tell them that a few of the Whitebeard Pirates were taking a small vacation in the East Blue, and that you decided to meet up with them afterward." he said as he hammered a nail.

"So, that's really it? You're just going to leave us with these guys?!" Sabo asked in a disbelieving tone.

"I don't really have much of a choice in this situation." Garp answered.

"No way! There has to be a catch of some sort!" Ace said, as he cautiously approached Garp.

"The catch is that your marine training is going to be doubled from now on." Garp said seriously.

"What?! No way!" The three of them yelled, and Garp ordered Bogart to start their training since he was stuck repairing the wall.

Some of the pirates, including Whitebeard, looked like they wanted to say something about his training method, but said nothing. They were about to sail into the Grand Line, and needed to be strong enough to handle themselves on some degree. They would be slaughtered if they were on their own.

Garp's thoughts wandered to what made the brats decide to sail off in the first place. Sure they were always adamant about becoming pirates, but they gave no indication that they were going to become pirates while they were still kids. Something had to have happened to make them leave. One thing was clear to Garp, he needed to have a long chat with Dadan.


	20. Goodbyes and Cherry Pies

**Whew! Another chapter out of the way! I'm glad to be writing this again! Apologies for it being a tad bit short, but I hope you all like it anyways!**

 **I do not own One Piece.**

The atmosphere was tense. Everyone in the room stared at Ace, Sabo, and Luffy with expressions that ranged from shock to anger. The trio had just told them the story of why they left Dawn Island, and no one looked more pissed than Garp and Whitebeard.

Thatch tried to calm down his boiling blood, but was finding it quite the challenge. The nobility… Thatch already didn't like them, but to hear about the Gary Terminal and what they did. Every fiber of Thatch's being was screaming at him to go to Dawn Island and take vengeance for the brats, but he knew that would only serve to make himself feel better.

He looked around at the expressions of everyone else. They all either looked too surprised or too livid to speak. Pops looked like he was ready to murder someone, and Garp's expression was torn between wanting to beat the everlasting daylights out of the nobles and wannabe pirates and blaming himself for everything that happened.

Thatch's heart went out to the man. He doubted that Garp would've let pirates, former or otherwise, remain on his home island had he known about their existence. The marine obviously cared about his grandsons, even if he did show it in odd ways, and to hear a story like this had to be a harsh blow to the old man.

He shifted his gaze over to Zeff. His expression was unreadable, but Thatch could tell that he too was angry at the people of Goa for the stunt they pulled. The brat standing next to him looked at the three brothers in amazement. He guessed that the brat didn't get to talk to people like them very often, which he had to agree with. There weren't many kids out there like the three who stared back at all of them while they polished off their hundredth plate of food.

"I see. So that's why you left." Garp said in a low tone. His fists were shaking as he glared a hole through the floor.

"Yeah, but we got Sabo back and sailed off together. So it all worked out." Luffy said with a bright smile. Thatch felt a fond smile stretch across his face, despite himself. Leave it to Luffy to find the bright side of things.

"It was a risky move, now that I look back on it, but I'm glad we did it." Sabo said, and started eating another plate of food.

"We couldn't let them take Sabo again, and I don't trust the nobles enough to not finish the job and kill the remaining survivors." Ace scowled. Thatch found himself agreeing with the brat. He wouldn't put it past them to do such a thing, especially after the effort they put into setting the fire.

"To think, there were pirates on my home island this whole time…" Garp trailed off with a heavy edge in his voice. The Vice Admiral was kicking himself hard for his oversight.

"Garp, I know we already agreed that the brats stay with me, but I feel I should tell you this anyway. If you try to take them back to that wretched place then I _will_ fight back with tooth and nail." Pops said with an edge of his own.

Garp gave a dry chuckle and said, "I won't defend myself then. Taking them back is the last thing on my mind after hearing this."

"Did you really agree to help them set the explosives?" Sanji asked and Ace flinched.

"Yes. I foolishly thought that was the best thing to do at the time." Ace said around clenched teeth. Thatch suddenly realized why Ace took so long to open up to them, or part of the reason at least. The last time he put his trust in someone that wasn't his brothers, he and Luffy almost died. He gazed at the kid in sympathy. Sabo put a comforting hand on his shoulder, and Ace visibly relaxed.

"But it doesn't matter now, Ace. We're together again, and pirates." Luffy hugged the freckled kid.

"Yeah, Luffy, you have a point." Ace said with a small smile, and ruffled Luffy's hair underneath his hat.

Garp, who had been silent for a while, suddenly stood up off the floor. Everyone turned to look at the disgruntled marine. Garp looked down at the brats with an apologetic expression, and they stared back at him with wariness and confusion. He walked over to stand right in front of the three, and kneeled down. Ace immediately put himself between Garp and his brothers. Garp didn't take any notice as he wrapped his arms around the trio and gave them a tight hug. Garp didn't say anything, but the meaning was clear. He was sorry, and would never forgive himself for allowing that to happen to them.

"Well, I think this scene takes care of any doubts that we had about his care for the brats." Izo said with a small smile.

"Agreed." Vista said with a nod of his own. Garp let go soon after, and the brats looked at him in bewilderment.

"Alright, I believe I've overstayed my welcome." Garp said as he actually turned to the door. Thatch guessed that he didn't want to repair another wall.

"Wait! So you're leaving just like that?" Sabo asked, obviously confused.

"Yeah, I need to head back to Dawn before I'm expected at headquarters." Garp replied before he turned back to his grandkids.

"Aren't you going to tell us what that hug was about at least?!" Ace demanded, shaking himself out of his shock.

"Why you, brat! Can't a guy hug his own grandsons every now and then?!" Garp yelled back before he calmed himself again.

"Take care, you three. And Whitebeard," Garp turned to the pirate captain, "… thanks."

Whitebeard nodded, and Garp turned around. He called out to his men to set sail as he exited through the doors. His order was met with an enthusiastic response, and the marines made their leave.

"Well, that was something." Haruta after things grew quiet again.

"Hey Pops, I've gotta ask something. Are we going to make our own trip to Dawn?" Fossa asked, and Pops stared at him for a second. Thatch knew the Fossa was asking if they were going to take revenge on behalf of the brats, and patiently waited for Whitebeard to respond. He wanted to teach the nobles a thing or two himself.

"I know you all want to seek vengeance. I do too, but we have to reject our desires thins time. We already caught the attention of the World Government by just being here. If we want to keep them away from the brats then we can't attack a kingdom at random." His response was met with begrudging understanding.

Thatch knew Pops was right. Now that the brats were sailing with them, they had to put their well-being ahead of their own desires. Even if they all wanted to show the nobles that they weren't as hot as they thought they were.

"Hey, Sanji! Are you ready to join my crew yet?" Luffy asked, completely shifting the mood from brooding to amused.

"What part of 'no' don't you understand, you rubber idiot!" Sanji yelled back, and a few of the commanders chuckled.

"I guess this is what we have to look forward to, huh" Marco asked with a small laugh while Luffy and Sanji continued to bicker. Ace and Sabo chipped in here and there on Luffy's behalf.

"Yeah, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

XxXxXxXxX

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! How many times do I have to say it?"

"But we're about to leave."

"I know, but I'm not changing my answer."

"Come on! Pleeeeeaaaaseeee?!"

"Let go of me!"

Sabo sighed as he watched Luffy's final attempts to get Sanji to join his crew. Sabo was actually surprised at how insistent Sanji had been the entire time. Not once did he ever give into Luffy's whims, and held his ground pretty strongly. Even Zoro had conceded in the end. Sabo wondered what Sanji's secret was to resisting Luffy. It was a power not many people had.

"Dammit! How many times do I have to say it?! I'm NOT joining your crew!" Sanji yelled and finally managed to kick Luffy off of him. Luffy dusted himself off with a pout.

"Fine! If you don't want to join now then I will just have to come back and try again in ten years!" Luffy said with fierce determination.

"Good luck with that, rubber brain." Sanji grumbled before he walked back into the restaurant. Luffy turned to Sabo and Ace, pout still on his face.

"Forget about him Luffy. He's not worth it." Ace tried to reassure their little brother.

"No! Sanji is going to be my chef! I will accept no one else!" Luffy insisted, and Sabo felt himself sweatdrop.

"You're determined to take my Little Eggplant away from me?" Zeff asked as he walked up to Luffy.

"Who?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion.

"He means Sanji." Sabo clarified.

"Oh. Yeah, I do, Peg leg!" Luffy said with a smile.

"My name is Zeff, you brat. And good." Zeff said which made Sabo and Ace share a confused look.

"You're happy about that?" Ace asked.

"I sacrificed my leg to save his life, and now he thinks that he should stay here for the rest of it to pay me back. When all I really want is for him to follow his dream." Zeff explained, and Luffy looked at the chef intensely.

"What's his dream, old man?" he asked.

"His dream is to find the legendary sea: The All Blue." Zeff answered returning Luffy's gaze. They stared at each other for a few seconds, and Sabo briefly wondered if he should stop them. Finally Luffy's smile returned at full force.

"I gotcha, old man! Don't worry. I'll come back in ten year, and I won't leave until he says 'yes'." Luffy promised and Zeff smiled.

"You'd better, brat." Zeff said before he too walked back into the restaurant.

"How do you keep doing that?" Ace asked, and Luffy turned to him in confusion.

"Do what?"

"How do you keep finding future crewmates so easily?" Sabo asked, equally as puzzled as Ace.

"I dunno, but I'm happy that it keeps happening." Luffy shrugged happily, and Sabo smiled at him fondly.

"Hey, are you brats coming or what?" Marco asked from the ship's deck where the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates were getting ready to set sail.

"Keep your shirt on, Pineapple Head. We're coming." Ace said, and Marco glanced at him in annoyance. A few nearby crewmates laughed at the nickname. The three of them made their way onto the deck, and saw many faces they didn't see in the restaurant.

"Wow! This crew is bigger than I thought." Sabo couldn't help but remark.

"No kidding." Ace agreed, and Luffy looked around the huge deck in amazement.

"THIS SHIP IS HUGE!" Luffy yelled and started to run around the deck much to everyone's amusement.

"Zehahaha! Well of course it is! It needs to be for a crew this size!" said a man with a large body, and curly black hair. He was sitting on the deck and had a few cherry pies in front of him. This caught Luffy's attention, and he ran over to the new guy.

"Hey, old man! What are you eating?" Luffy asked as he eyed the pies with curiosity.

"Cherry pie. The best dessert in the world." He said as he took another bite out of the slice he was holding.

"Be careful, Teach. He'll eat all of your pies if you aren't careful." Thatch warned in an amused tone.

"Zehahaha! That's okay. I don't mind sharing with the brats. Go on! Try a bite!" Teach encouraged, and Luffy grabbed a slice. Sabo looked at his little brother in confusion. Normally, Luffy would just grab an entire pie. What was with him?

Luffy took a pretty big bite, and started to chew. His face scrunched up after a few seconds, and his face turned blue. Luffy forced himself to swallow and dropped the rest of the piece back into the pan.

"Gross!" Luffy yelled and started to wipe his tongue. Sabo, Ace, and everyone who had seen him eat stared at Luffy in shock.

"YOU MEAN THERE ARE FOODS HE DOESN'T LIKE?!" Sabo, Ace, and Thatch all yelled at the same time, and Teach gave a hearty laugh.

"Zehahahahahaha! You don't like them? Oh well, more for me then!" he said and finished the slice he held in his hand. Luffy scrutinized him for a few seconds with his tongue still hanging out.

"You're a weirdo." Luffy said, and walked off to explore the rest of the ship. Sabo and Ace followed him, and the crewmembers who overheard Luffy chuckled.

"What gives, Lu? You mean you really don't like cherry pie?" Ace asked, still shocked about Luffy's rejection of the pastry.

"Cherry pies are disgusting. And that guy is weird for liking them." Luffy said, and Sabo couldn't help but laugh.

"You're really something else, Luffy." Sabo said after he calmed down.

"Shishishishi! Hey, where do you think we're going now?" Luffy asked and put his hands behind his head.

"Wherever the Whitebeard Pirates take us." Ace said, with a hint of bitterness. He had moved passed needing help for the most part, but Sabo could tell that a part of him was going to be sore about it for a while.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we're going to have lots of interesting adventures with these guys." Sabo reassured his brothers.

"Yeah! Hey, do you think we'll run into Shanks?!" Luffy asked hopefully.

"We'll see, Luffy. We'll see."


End file.
